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?
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?
The Bible says "Genesis 3:16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Atwood creates a society where the Handmaids are basically the slaves of the higher classes (the Commander). The quote from the bible which refers to the love between and a women is transformed in order to give a reason to the women in society for why they must bare childeren for the family of the Commander. This is the reason why women are radically subordinate in the Gileaden society. Furthermore, the typical bearing of a child is a result of two people in love but in this society the women do not pray to find the man that they will have a family with but they pray directly that "Give me children, or else I die. Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? Behold my maid Bilhah. She shall bear upon my knees, that i may also have children by her" (Atwood, 88).Originally Posted by gujuprinz
It is important that all the women only pray for the same certain things because women are not allowed to be exposed to anything, for example even reading. In the Gilead society women are only used for one thing, and that is children. If every aspect of there life is isolated and limited, to gain further control even their prayers are monitored. Furthermore, they all pray for the same thing. "Oh God, the King of the universe, thank you for not creating me a man. Oh God, obliterate me. Make me fruitful. Mortify my flesh, that I may be multiplied. Let me be fulfiilled..." (Atwood, 194).
Well, they are similar in the fact that in both situations, a powerful force makes people under their control believe that other group(s) of people are "wrong" in some way. During the Holocaust, obviously, Hitler led the Nazi army to believe that all Jews were to be hated and killed, alongside handicapped peoples (physically or mentally), homosexuals, Gypsies, etc. In Gileadean society, the government killed many, including doctors who once gave abortions to women (Atwood 32), preists and homosexuals (Atwood 43), Catholics, (Atwood 200), and surely many others.
They are dissimilar, however, because the Holocaust was an event that everyone understood: Hitler hated certain types of people, so he sent out his army to kill them. In Gilead, very few people understand what is actually going on or why so many people are being killed. This is portrayed when Offred is so eager to watch the news, even though she knows it may be fake: "Any news, now, is better than none" (Atwood 82).
The Jezebel in the Bible is also said to have "powers behind the throne". For the text, the club gives women a sense of "freedom", or escape from their normal lives in society. Both reasons go against the norms of society; women do not have power and are assigned specific deeds in Gilead.
In the Bible, Jezebel was also seen as manipulative. While being a princess, she encouraged the worship of Baal, a false idol, over God. In The Handmaid's Tale, the women's bodies can be seen as encouraging, luring the Commanders in for all that "jazz".
In the Republic of Gilead, we see store names with Biblical references, such as Milk and Honey (referring to the Holy Lands of Israel) and Loaves and Fish (referring to the miracle of feeding the 5000). What is Atwood hinting at in naming these places after Biblical allusions?
I think that Atwood is trying to emphasise the Bible's effect on the Gileadean society. The only problem is that it seems as though only select portions of the Bible are ever used in society, and even then the passages may be revised: "Blessed are the meek. She didn't go on to say anything about inheriting the earth" (Atwood 64). The importance of the Gileadean practice of using carefully selected Bible passages emphasises the corruption of the society.
I agree with the idea that the word faith on the pillow allows for Offred to keep hope in finding a way out of the society; she may use it as an escape just like all of her flashbacks to the told times with Luke.
However, I also think it may be an allusion to how to Gilead government is similar to a religion. Faith is generally associated with strongly following a religion based on beliefs and not necessarily hard evidence (even though there may be some). The idea of faith can also be applied to people or organizations as it is in the Gilead society. I doubt that the government would accidentally leave the pillow: "It's the only thing they've given me to read" (Atood 57). Therefore, I think that it was placed deliberately to promote a sense of following and belief that the government is doing the right thing, very similar to the names of rituals and people (the ceremony, prayvaganza, handmaid, commander, etc.)
In The Handmaid's Tale, all handmaids are required to wear a cap with a pair of white "wings" (Atwood 8). The all-seeing Eye also has a pair of white wings (21-22). Why does Atwood give both the powerless handmaid and the extremely powerful eye the same symbolic feature?
"It strikes me that, although I know he's a Commander, I don't know what he's a Commander of. What does he control, what is is field, as they used to say? They don't have specific titles.
"You might say I'm a sort of scientist," he says" (Atwood 185)
Offred poses an interesting question: What are the Commanders commanding? What do they actually do? Might they be in charge of the entire republic of Gilead? If so, why do they place themselves in the position of fertlizing the handmaids when there are other, younger (and probably much more preferable) men available?
Before Offred and the new Ofglen depart, we hear them say the phrase "Under His Eye" to each other (285). Who do you think this "His" is referring to? We have seen many references to the Bible in this novel, so could the society be based on one denomination of Christianity or some other high figure(s) in their society?
I think the Angels refers more specifically to the soldiers that are fighting in the religious wars. Besides protecting the women, I think the Gilead government wants to imply that they are going out and spreading what they think is the correct form of religion. In their society, the Angels are doing good and it is normal for the women not to be able to talk to the men. Only the prior knowledge of Offred and our own biases causes us to think that the society is the opposite of a heaven, for some of the people in the society it is.I found it interesting how the guardmen are called Angels. Yes, the guards are protecting the women, but they're also forcing them to stay and give away their futures to be handmaids. Angels are supposed to help people and be in heaven, but the women can't even talk to the Angels or anything. Gilead is definitely not heaven...more like the opposite.
Why is it important that it is not explicitly stated what religious denomination the Gilead society belongs to. Is Atwood trying to show the reader the dangers of believing too strongly in one thing?
Are there any other allusions to the Puritans in the Handmaid's Tale? In an interview Margaret Atwood stated that she based he novel on religion and we can see the reference to the elected (the Commanders). Does the witch hunting idea apply to the Gilead society? Offred also mentions "Puritan aids" (64) which is the soap that she uses to clean herself with.
Last edited by merelyjoshing; 01-30-2011 at 10:53 PM.
I think it is important that it is kept a mystery to both the characters in the novel and the reader. The idea of some unknown person or thing watching promotes fear that keeps the citizens in line. This idea related to how the government uses religion to control people. Furthermore, relates to the advance in technology and how it can be used to watch people. I think Atwood leaves this idea open to the reader's interpretation so they can evaluate the controlling factors in their own society and apply it to their time period.
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