In the Handmaid's Tale, since the Church and State are not separated, to what extent are the outcomes different from our world?
In the Handmaid's Tale, since the Church and State are not separated, to what extent are the outcomes different from our world?
In the Handmaid's Tale, to what extent does Atwood use religious references so that the readers could understand the novel?
Not only does religion justify what the government is doing but it also helps the readers better understand the situation. It allows the reader engage more and more in their religion so that if this kind of situation ever happened to them, they can recognize when they are being told the truth and when the truth is twisted. The fact that the Gileadean government is hypocritical is similar to the Puritans in the Crucible. Both the governments were on the same page, except one of them knows that they are hypocritical and the other does not.Originally Posted by asdf99
Well, one of the epigraphs from the beginning of the book was from Genesis 30:1-3. "And [Rachel] said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her." I think Rachel says that Jacob should use my maid and have kids with her, which will be mine. But when you both perform the ceremony, "she shall bear upon my knees." It seems like this is where the Gileadean government got the idea from. To the Gileadean government, the wives are supposed to be happy. But only the wives know that the ceremony is heart-aching and they are probably not allowed to say anything even though they are from the highest caste.
The most important aspect in the Gileadean society is power: the control of it, the use of it to subjugate individuals, the total relinquishment of it, etc. All women, just as you pointed out, have to give up their previous "power" over their male counterparts regardless of their social status. The quote you provided is one that Offred reflects upon right after the first Ceremony that is described in the novel. While it is awful for Serena Joy to have to watch her husband have sex with another woman, it is equally as difficult for Offred to take part in the Ceremony. However, to answer your question, I believe that Offred's situation is worse than that of Serena Joy, mainly regarding the aspect of power. Although both women give up their power in the male-dominated society, Serena Joy still has the power in her household to order Offred and the Marthas around. She is still seen as the "Mistress" of the household and while lacking power over men, she has significant power over other women because of her social status. I believe this power is something that helps keeps the Wives sane, while the Handmaids are always a little over the edge. Wives are allowed to knit and garden while Handmaids are allowed to sit and have sex, which is a reflection of their social status. For example when Offred is exploring her room she tells the reader that "I had a lot of time to pass" (Atwood 50), and the inference is that she had nothing to do with all this time. A little power in this sort of situation is better than none.
In my point of view, the Church and State are in fact separated. When Offred first describes the church across from the Wall, she describes it as "a small one, one of the first erected here, hundreds of years ago. It isn't used anymore, except as a museum...Admission is free" (31). Despite the fact that specific verses are chosen from the Bible to be used to promote the traditions of the Gilead, there is no account of actually attending Church. This is similar to the Church and State of the United States. We see phrases such as "In God We Trust" but Christianity is not denoted as the "official" language. There is no law requiring citizens to be Protestant. In comparison, Gilead does persecute other religions. Though their official denomination is not known, we see the use of the Wall beside the church museum: persecution of those against the government, including priests of several Christian denominations.
Atwood uses religious references in the novel mainly as a form of irony which also helps to emphasize the dystopian aspects of the novel. For example, she uses the word "Ceremony" to describe sex between the Commander and the Handmaid. "Ceremony" normally has a positive connotation of something that is happy, pious, and religious in nature. Instead, Atwood uses it in this context as something that is negative and has more of a clinical nature than we would normally think. This exemplifies the dystopian nature of the novel, in that a seemingly religious event is turned into something used by the government to exert control. At the same time, Atwood's religious references also represent the theme of duality she portrays throughout her novel. The above example also shows this idea. One of the epigraphs from the beginning of the novel is a quote from the Bible extolling the very same event that is described in Atwood's "Ceremony." So in this way, the "Ceremony" does have a religious undertone to it, and Atwood uses both the religious and seemingly devilish aspects of the "Ceremony" to illustrate the theme of duality that has been evident in all literature we have read so far in class. Also the "Ceremony" is just one example of Atwood's religious perversion. Some others include the "Angels" and "Guardians", "Jezebel's", and the many parts when Scripture is quoted incorrectly throughout the course of the novel. Atwood's religious references help the reader to better understand the society in which the novel takes place, as well as the dystopian nature and duality Atwood portrays during The Handmaid's Tale.
What is the religious or any other significance of the name of the club that the Commander takes Offred to? "Let, hell, they encourage it. Know what they call this place among themselves? Jezebel's" (Atwood 249).
I discovered that she was a princess in the Bible, if this helps.
How do the words "Love" and "Faith", typically associated with religion and the Bible, play into Offred's journey? To what degree do they help her keep her hope alive and exist as long as she does or to what degree do they prevent her from fully assimilating into the Gileadean culture, therefore putting herself at a disadvantage for survival?
"Faith" is found on the pillow. Its like her only connection to the past, because women could read in the past. She says, "I can spend minutes, tens of minutes, running my eyes over the print: FAITH. Its the only thing they've given me to read." (57) This is like her escape from the harsh Gildean society
I also think that the "Faith" found on the pillow shows that she will be able to escape the Gildean Period if she tries her hardest and doesnt lose her hope. Many have tried to escape from the Gildean society, but it's just so impossible because of the "Eye" always keeping an eye on the people. And going with the quote, "I can spend minutes, tens of minutes, running my eyes over the print: FAITH. Its the only thing they've given me to read" (57), a possible conclusion could be made that the word was "shown" to her to give hope to successfuly escape the Gildean society.
The word "love", typically associated with religion and the Bible plays into Offred's journey because it helps Offred realize that even though the men have been using the women as "sex machines", and they dont really love them, there is still some other source of love that Offred could recieve. The commander in the novel starts to have an "affair" with Offred by calling Offred to his office. There, they play scrabble and read magazines, in which Offred starts to "love" the Commander. In this way, Offred kind of has an escape from the Gildean society because the commander provides her with everything.
What significance is Margaret Atwood trying to show by using Christian Religious names as the characer's names? Is she trying to set up the society by using these names?
In what extent is Chrisitanity used to manage the society in the Gildean Period? And what point is Margaret Atwood trying to get to by doing this?
How are the events in the past that are related to religion as a power/weakness mechanism (ex: persecution of the Jews in Germany)similar to the treatment of the people in the Gilead society according to their religion?
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