How are the main characters in "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood constructed to represent the text's underlying values and attitudes?

Essay by Michael_HitchcockCollege, UndergraduateA, August 2006

download word file, 6 pages 3.0

Downloaded 42 times

Fictional writing is rarely a neutral account; typically, characters are constructed to express a particular viewpoint. How are the main characters in "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood constructed to represent the text's underlying values and attitudes?

Fictional texts are rarely constructed to present a neutral account; instead authors construct their texts to represent particular viewpoints. These viewpoints are manifested through the author's construction of the main characters and the attitudes and values they represent. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is one such text that utilises characterisation in order to convey the underlying attitudes and values presented. The Handmaid's Tale depicts the western democratic society of America, overthrown by a totalitarian society known as Gilead. The focus Atwood constructs is on the demise of western democratic ideals, such as freedom; implying that political extremism inevitably leads to oppression of the populace. The regime's central ideology is based upon 'protecting' the declining birth rate and ensuring the survival of the population.

The state utilises political subjugation to remove all rights from the female gender, securing complete control over their bodies and minds. The female gender is no longer treated as human; they become reduced to their fertility in the new regime. The men of Gilead also have very limited freedoms, often resorting to breaching state regulations to allow themselves some basic freedoms. The Handmaid's Tale acts as a cautionary tale warning against political extremism, and the detrimental effects it has on freedom and individuality. Atwood constructs the main characters of the text with values of democracy and freedom; enabling the western democratic readers to align themselves with the characters. Methods of construction, such as point of view, dialogue and symbolism are manipulated by Atwood to shape characters and their experiences in the tyrannical society of Gilead. Point of...