The Handmaid's Tale : A Critical Dystopia Essay 2022

THE HANDMAID’S TALE: A CRITICAL
DYSTOPIA 1
“A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze.”
The above quoted line from Margaret Atwood’s famous novel “The Handmaid's Tale”
(1985) highlights the central theme of the concerned novel. Margaret Atwood’s “The
Handmaid's Tale” is often considered to be one of the most important dystopian fictions of the
20th century and this is perhaps one of the major reasons why the novel forms an important part
of the Post-Colonial Literature or for that matter of the entire World Literature itself (Urquhart).
The novel represents a topsy-turvy world or for that matter a dystopian world wherein
totalitarianism or religious intolerance is the norm of the day. In this regard, it needs to be said
that the novel shows a post-apocalyptic world wherein the majority of the individuals have lost
their fertility or virility and only a handful of women still are fertile. More importantly, it is seen
that these women are being used as mere sources of reproduction or procreation just like the
working class individuals are being used by the capitalist merely for the enhancement of their
capital. The aim of this essay is to undertake a critical analysis of Margaret Atwood’s “The
Handmaid's Tale” through the usage of the concept of dystopia.
Sugg is of the viewpoint that the term dystopia can be defined as an imagined state or
nation wherein the people or the citizens have to face a substantial amount of suffering or pain
and are being deprived of their basic human rights. As discussed by Urquhart, one of the most
important features of the different dystopian states is the fact that they are being governed
through the political ideology of totalitarianism or dictatorship and on the score of this aspect it
is seen that great injustices are being committed against the common people. More importantly,
it had been seen that most of the dystopian states are post-apocalyptic in nature wherein the
traditional systems of law and order, society, normal relationship between men and women and

THE HANDMAID’S TALE: A CRITICAL
DYSTOPIA 2
others have disintegrated to give rise to the kind of society which is radically different from the
one that the human beings have been used to living in. In this context, it needs to be said that
Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid's Tale” is redolent with all these aspects of dystopia which
in turn renders effectiveness to the novel and also had enhanced the quality of the same as well.
The novel “The Handmaid's Tale” has a very complex and its takes the readers a
certain amount of time before they are actually being able to understand the things which the
novelist Margaret Atwood is trying to say in the concerned world. For example, the novel has its
setting in a “near-future New England” which is completely post-apocalyptic in nature and called
by the name of Gilead (Atwood). Sugg is of the viewpoint that Atwood for the composition of
the novel under discussion here takes inspiration from the biblical story of Rachel and her
handmaid Bilhah and thereby narrates the story of a Handmaid who is being forced to perform
the job role of a Handmaid against her wishes. As a matter of fact, it is seen that the people in
power in the concerned novel take the help of the different sections of the Old Testament not
only for the purpose of managing the different affairs of the Republic of Gilead but also for the
purpose of suppressing the women of the concerned state as well. In this regard, it needs to be
said that the women of the state under discussion here enjoy a very limited amount of power and
are being restricted to the household choirs although just before the formation of the state they
have enjoyed a substantial amount of freedom and have successfully managed both domestic and
professional lives.
As stated by Urquhart, one of the most important features of the novel “The Handmaid’s
Tale” is the fact that fundamentalist religious dogma or beliefs are being used for the segregation
of the gender roles or for that matter the systematic suppression or the oppression of the women

THE HANDMAID’S TALE: A CRITICAL
DYSTOPIA 3
of the society. Sugg is of the viewpoint the dystopian society of Gilead shows a return back to
the ancient times wherein the women were considered to be a commodity which could be used
for the purpose of reproduction or procreation and apart from that have no role to play within the
societal framework. More importantly, the sexual act between the Handmaids and the
Commanders was named “Ceremony” to associate religious connotations with it and even the
wife of the Commander had to be present when the sexual intercourse was taking place between
the two. As a matter of fact, it is seen that the novel shows the wives to be playing an equally
important role with the same despite the fact that their emotions were hurt in a substantial
manner by seeing their husbands have sexual intercourse with other women. Moreover, the novel
also in a succinct manner reveals the fact that the wives of the Commanders apart from the basic
household matters have no say in anything whatsoever and were made to abide by the different
conservative or orthodox religious dictums or dogma which are the rule of Gilead (Sugg). This
becomes apparent from the line of the novel wherein it is said that “All you have to do, I tell
myself, is keep your mouth shut and look stupid. It shouldn't be that hard” (Atwood).
An important feature of the society of Gilead is the fact that it is a façade despite the
people in power claiming the fact that by following the different religious precepts they were
trying to improve the living condition of the people. For example, within the society of Gilead it
was considered to be perfectly fine for the Commanders to have sexual intercourse with the
Handmaids however it was considered to be blasphemy if the women of the society even talked
to the male members of the same. Furthermore, the Handmaids were deprived of even their basic
human rights and were treated as no more slaves who had no say in whatever was going on their
lives. As a matter of fact, it is seen that the central character of the novel, Offred, is bring