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In the book of the Handmaid’s Tale, women are subjugated in the society of
Gilead. Subjugation means when someone is brought into subjection, in the Handmaid’s
Tale, women are made the subject and it is the oppression of women. Atwood explores
the ways in which women are subjugated in the Handmaid’s Tale. I will be exploring
how evident this theme is through the use of language, title, roles, situations and
relationships.
In the Handmaid’s Tale, the names of each of the characters are different to what
they were called. The name for Handmaid’s is two put together, firstly, the word “of”
comes before the name of the Commander such as “Offred”, the name symbolizes who
the Handmaid’s belong to, it is like a property they own to bear children. The name of
Serena Joy is the Commander’s Wife; this again is a symbol for who she belongs to.
Therefore both women are owned by the Commander which shows the power and
control the Commander has over women (patriarchal society). The man who owns
these two women is called the Commander, the verb “command” connotes control and
power, which shows his status and the power he has over every women.
Another way in which Atwood shows the ways in which women are subjugated is
in the Jezebel’s section, when the Commander is introducing the people Offred sees.
The Commander says, “Well, some of them are pros. Working girls.” In this quotation,
the word “some” of them show that he is addressing them as groups, not individuals,
which show that some women in the “club” have been forced to go there, such as
Offred. Therefore, it is not only the society that has decreased the freedom that women
have, it is also a patriarchal society, where men are dominant. This shows that the
subjugation of women has been used through language (Commander’s speech) and
role (Commander’s role).
In addition to that, Atwood shows another way in which women are subjugated,
which is the relationship between Offred and the Commander. This is seen through the
action of the Commander when he has the key and shows it to Offred. This is when
Offred says, “He shows it to me, slyly. I am to understand.” The use of language used
by Atwood in this quotation is effective, she uses it effectively. The auxiliary verb “am”
shows that Offred is supposed to understand why he is showing her a key. The adverb
slyly connotes being secretive and a hint for his action. These connotations show his
position, he has power. The Commander treats Offred like a sexual object that he owns
he thinks of her as a prostitute and therefore uses her for pleasure, which is a
suggestion for the relationship between them. Offred does not make the decision herself
and can not reject it, which demonstrates the Commander’s position and status. This
portrays the subjugation of women through a place called the club, where prostitutes
are used for pleasure by men.
In conclusion, I think that women are subjugated in the society of Gilead through
Atwood’s use of language, role (the role of each character), situation (ceremony),
names and the title of the book. This could also be an advantage for the society, as
women bear children to build the society through Handmaid’s, but Handmaid’s are
under pressure because if they become infertile, they will be sent to the colonies.