Interpreting the Handmaids Tale - 657 Words

Interpreting The Handmaids Tale The Handmaids Tale is distinguished by its various narrative and structural divisions. It contains four different levels of narrative time: the pre-Revolution past, the time of the Revolution itself, the Gileadean period, and the post-Gileadean period (LeBihan 100). In addition, the novel is divided into two frames, both with a first person narrative. Offreds narrative makes up the first frame, while the second frame is provided by the Historical Notes, a transcript of a lecture given by a Cambridge professor. The distinctions in structure and narrative perspective parallel the separation of Gileadean residents into different social roles. Offreds narrative is mainly of the Gileadean period, but†¦show more content†¦In the instance of women in the novel, this power comes from their indispensable role in the propagation of society. As Offred tells her story, she incorporates the stories of other women into her narrative. Her voice multiplies to become the voice of women rather than the voice of a single narrator (133). Thus, The Handmaids Tale isnt just Offreds protest against her oppressive condition, but the collective protest of every woman. The Historical Notes comprising the second frame of the novel provide an important shift in perspective. The Notes are a transcript of a lecture given by the professor, Darcy Pieixoto, at an academic symposium on Gileadean Studies two hundred years after Gilead has become ancient history. The reader finds out that Pieixoto and his colleague are the ones responsible for the transcription and editing of the handmaids story. (As it turns out, Offreds account is not actually written, but recorded onto cassette tapes). Pieixoto treats Offreds story in a scientific and detached manner. For him, her account is merely a resource for gaining knowledge of the former Gilead Republic. The shift from Offred as narrator to Pieixoto as narrator does two things. First, it signifies Offreds inability to make her voice heard; the voice of the male narrator in the last part of the novel threatens to drown out Offreds voice and the significance of her autobiography. Secondly, it leaves readers with the challenge ofShow MoreRelatedMargaret Atwood s The Handmaid s Tale1345 Words   |  6 PagesWomen or Women? (Or Canada?) â€Å"Women as a Metaphor in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale† by Sonia Chadha compares the treatment of women in society to the treatment of women in The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Chadha’s essay leaves her readers in a state of bewilderment after only a few pages. Her disorganized structure and repetitive subjects are only a couple reasons of why this essay is an absolute mess. Chadha’s essay is all over the place and only shows one-side of the argument.Read MoreFeminism In The Handmaids Tale1709 Words   |  7 PagesThe Republic of Gilead, a dystopian world with a patriarchal society, is displayed in Atwood’s, The Handmaid’s Tale. More specifically, the novel takes place in what used to be considered the United States but is now being called the Republic of Gilead where freedoms and rights have been excluded, especially for women. The society nurtures a â€Å"theocratic, patriarchal, nightmare world created b y men, with the complicity of women† (â€Å"Margaret (Eleanor) Atwood†). The separation of the freedoms betweenRead MoreSurveillance : A Comparison Of Gilead And Winesburg1923 Words   |  8 PagesWinesburg An eerie dystopian society, where a woman s sole purpose is to procreate, versus a small midwestern town in the early 1900’s. What could possibly be in common between these two vastly different ways of life? Surveillance. The Handmaid s Tale by Margaret Atwood, is an exceptional novel that focuses on a newly formed society known as Gilead. Throughout the novel, Atwood dives deep into political, social, and moral issues through the eyes of a female main character, known by the name Offred