The Relevance Of The Handmaid’s Tale To Contemporary Society
Magaret Atwood is a popular Canadian poet, she wrote a book called, ‘Handmaid’s tale’. The handmaid’s tale contains the sort of dystopia that could happen in the USA. The book is basically about a newly formed country and that took away women’s freedom and their rights. Nowadays, women are arguing about anti-abortion and doing the #metoo movement. This is a really interesting story because it reflects the story in the contemporary period. The story in ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ has some kind of relevance with contemporary society, because the story contains the possible dystopia which can happen in current politics and modern society.
The way how Gilead used handmaid is very interesting. Let’s see what is the handmaid and what roles did handmaid’s take in Gilead. Women who were not married and if they can bring birth to the children, they could become the handmaids. Once a month the commanders have some kind of celebration. In that day the commanders basically rape their handmaids. If the baby is born the baby automatically given to the commander’s couple. How is it similar to contemporary society. In some country, women cannot control their body. For example, the abortion law. Currently, in Texas and Alabama, the new abortion law had been made in 2019. The reason for this law is because of human life protection. Some women were actually wearing the cloth which was in the ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ and protested against banning abortion.
“Sterile, there is no such thing as a sterile man anymore, not officially. There are only women who are fruitful and women who are barren, that’s the law.
“Lots of women do it” he goes on, ‘you want a baby, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I say. It’s true, and I don’t ask why, because I know. Give me children, or I die.”
In this quote, it says “Give me children or I die” this line just does not signifies the reader that she is just a childless mother who is misery and tortured. She wants to raise her own child but she can’t because it is the law. If she doesn’t obey the law she will be executed.
Feminism is a social movement which fights for gender equality. However, some feminist is going to much. They are fighting for women are better are men. Feminist are hashtagging metoo if she had sexual harassment or rape by men. This was a big issue back in days. Since the Gilead took place in politics, women in Gilead started to lose their rights as a person. They could not have a job and have their money. The women became men’s toy because men could do what they want them to do and the women had to follow it even though they don’t want to. Let’s see how it has relevance to modern society. Women in real life, they are debating about their approaches and aims. They keep discussing the wage that why are men getting more money. Some women are fighting for good reason (equality). However, there are some women who are really concerned and think deeply about this topic. They are even thinking of women are better than men. Feminism is created for equality for each gender, not who is better and worse, criticized and get stereotypes because of their gender. Those feminists who think that women are better are ruining the feminism. “I want Luke here so badly. I want to be held and told my name. I want to be valued, in ways that I am not; I want to be more than valuable. I repeat my former name, remind myself of what I once could do, how others saw me”. In Handmaid’s tale, they want to be treated as a person, however in modern society, this quote explains how they are desperate to be equal as the men.
In Gilead is the after the Republic of the USA. Because of the pollution and conditions of the environment, the fertility level is low in the world all the time. Pollution and condition of the environment made the newborn babies to be easily affected by the radiation. The woman who can give birth to the child is very useful and become the handmaid. The birth rates are decreasing nowadays. Lower immigration, the whole average age of the population is getting older, plus the fertility rates are declined. The population is decreasing overall.
In conclusion, the use of the handmaids, feminism, and fertility are the three main topics which can be relevant to contemporary society. The dystopia that Gilead brought in really reflects modern society. I was quite surprised by how similar and have a difference between modern society and Gilead. “I said there was more than one way of living with your head in the sand and that if Moira thought she could create Utopia by shutting herself up in a women-only enclave she was sadly mistaken. Men were not just going to go away, I said. You couldn't just ignore them.” This quote says that women have a different quality of life. She just can’t ignore men’s favor. It just clearly says that I think feminism is a very interesting topic. Because the handmaids and the feminist are very different, they are the opposite. Handmaids are admitting that men are better than women however feminist are trying really hard to be equal as the men. They are using #metoo for spreading the feminism and have a lot of like for the metoo picture.
