The Handmaid's Tale With Feminist Literary Criticism

Students Name
Professors Name
Course Code and Name
Date
The Handmaid's Tale with Feminist Literary Criticism
The Handmaid's Tale, written by Margaret Atwood, represents a society formed after the overthrowing of the united states government. The novel focuses on the women's and the way through which they attempt to regain their independence in a male-dominated culture. The female characters are involved in various actions which reveal how men have oppressed them. In a society whereby gender equality should be the order of the day, the women of Gilead no longer enjoy such equality since they have to be submissive to the men. The plot of the novel is a representation of a patriarchal society whereby the end of a woman's struggle is death or prostitution. Therefore, this paper provides an analysis of the feminism literary critique of the various social, cultural, and separatism actions.
The female characters in the novel present a social imbalance between men and women. The women have been grouped in categories, and each of the categories has been allocated a particular color of clothes that they should wear. This is in contrast to men who are free to wear anything that they like and do not belong to any class. In a society that is seeking to bring a balance between the actions of men and women, then such classes are not an indication of feminism (Atwood 4). The different colors of clothes represent the division that exists in the world of women, rather than the expected unity that would, in turn, lead them into a world of equality. As well, the social imbalance between men and women is also evidenced by the romance genre. The society described in the novel has a "rape ritual," which is being supported by some of the women. The commander's wife is aware of the rape ritual that is to be performed on Offred and seems to be okay. In a world of equality, a woman would be allowed to make reproduction decision rather than be forced into having children. As well, they should have the freedom to choose a partner with whom they wish to have children. This is not the case in Gilead since some women have been selected to reproduce for the men in power. "No empire imposed by force or otherwise have ever been without this feature: control of the indigenous by members of their own group" (Atwood 308). The social imbalance is also evidenced in the fact that the men have a brothel in which they believe that it helps them in relaxing. According to Atwood's description, the brothel only consists of females. This is an indication of the fact that men view women as objects of having fun instead of a people that they can work together to bring progress in society. The civil war is made to make women submit into their gender determined roles as well as be submissive to the men (Atwood 3). Therefore, these actions are evidence that the novel does not fully advocate for feminism.
Atwood also uses the concept of cultural feminism in the description of the scenes of her female characters. Cultural feminism has been criticized by the way the women has to focus on the assigned roles. During the Leah and Rachael Re-Education Center, the Aunts makes remarks which depicts that every woman ought to be happy while performing the duties which have been so...