University English Essay: Frankenstein and Handmaid's Tale Comparison

This essay delves into the thematic similarities between Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale," focusing on how both authors explore the complexities of human nature, emotion, individuality, and compassion. The essay analyzes the use of nomenclature in both novels, demonstrating how it strips characters of their individuality and reduces them to commodities or 'others'. It further examines how the authors challenge the reader's perception of humanity, showing how individuals can choose to see human traits in others, regardless of their actions. The essay draws parallels between the creature in "Frankenstein" and Offred in "The Handmaid's Tale," highlighting their shared experiences of alienation and dehumanization, and explores how societal constructs shape the definition of 'human'. The essay also discusses the authors' ability to portray human traits in characters who may be seen as deplorable, and the potential for violence within human beings. The essay concludes by emphasizing that the human race does not always signify humanity.

Running Head: ENGLISH ESSAY
English Essay
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Author Note

1ENGLISH ESSAY
Topic- similarity between Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and Margaret Atwood's "The
Handmaid's Tale"
In the core text of both Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Margaret Atwood’s The
Handmaid’s Tale, themes of emotion, individuality and compassion are present. Having explored
both the complex and primitive aspects of the human nature, the reader is automatically driven
towards the connection between ‘human’ and ‘humanity’. In the first work that is Frankenstein,
written by Mary Shelley, the creature portrayed is stripped of the human characteristics
completely by the help of nomenclature in spite of the fat that he was made of the human parts.
In the due course of the novel, he is referred to as ‘devil ‘, ‘wretch ‘and ‘monster’. In this respect
Mary Shelley reduces the amount of abhorrence initiated by the sub-human created by Victor.
The imagery draws on the feeling of gothic tropes and also satanic senses. The determiners used
by Mary Shelley also stresses his otherness and alienation from the human race. The definite
article used by Mary Shelley in the work intensifies the wave of mystery in the creature and
allows him to stay on the fringes of human society. He is not permitted to participate in the
human lives, instead only function as a spectator. The entire novel is written in such a way that
the reader feels a kind of gothic fascination towards the perverse and the uncanny.
On the other hand, in Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, the author has used
nomenclature in order to divest Offred of the individuality and power. The name of Offred has
been derived from the preposition ‘of’’ that is followed by the commander’s name. Hence, it is
used not to separate her from other people, but to relate her with a man. Margaret Atwood
converts Offred to a commodity from a woman having defined her as a male’s possession. She is
no longer considered as a living person but as a ‘thing’ to make use of. In this respect Atwood
successfully draws the theory of the philosopher Simone de Beauvoir according to which women

2ENGLISH ESSAY
are the imitation of men and when she acts as human, she just imitates the male. Atwood, in this
work significantly expresses that the social notion of ‘human’ is ‘male ‘and not ‘female’. It is
reflected when Offred is allowed to be treated as human on the condition of her association with
a man. Here the similarity between Offred and the creature in Frankenstein. He is portrayed as a
corrupted version of a man and she is also treated less than human.
In both the works, both the authors have displayed that an individual may prefer to see
humanity where they prefer. In the novel Frankenstein, the readers are impressed by a different
kind of charm in the character of Victor. Through the narration of Walton, Shelley introduces the
character of Victor. He admires victor and so does the reader. He addresses to him as “gentle….
wise and cultivated “. The contrast of characters is seen when instead of the wrong conduction of
Victor, Walton’s esteem of his friend is not even shaken. Shelley efforts to pose the fat that the
idea of humanity is shaped by perspective and a creature like Victor cam also possess humanity.
The author decorates the character of Victor with heroism and romanticism rather than projecting
him as complete evil. He is presented as both the antagonist and the protagonist and
simultaneously attracts and repels the readers.
In Margaret Atwood’ work, similar theme reverberates that one can see human traits in
someone deplorable in other way. In the words of Offred, the commander is projected as a ‘silly
‘and ‘juvenile ‘person just like Walton considers Victor to be. Walton finds in Victor tresses of
innocence and tenderness in spite of his villainous character. Offred assures that her commander
is not ‘an unkind man’. It can be said that in the work of Atwood, Offred is suffering from the
Stockholm Syndrome in which a person feels affection towards the torturer. However, in this
work, Atwood shows that violence can be committed by human beings too and reflects the
aftermath of Holocaust. It is portrayed that human race does not always signify humanity.

3ENGLISH ESSAY
Bibliography
Atwood, Margaret. "Margaret Atwood on What ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’Means in the Age of
Trump." The New York Times 10 (2017).
Banerjee, Suparna. Science, Gender and History: The Fantastic in Mary Shelley and Margaret
Atwood. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015.
Shelley, Mary. "frankenstein." Medicine and Literature, Volume Two. CRC Press, 2018. 35-52.
Tringali, William. "Book Review: Science, Gender, and History: The Fantastic in Mary Shelley
and Margaret Atwood." Journal of International Women's Studies 18.2 (2017): 286-288.