Dystopian literature: The Handmaid's Tale

Dystopian literature: The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale

by Margaret Atwood

The novel was Written by Atwood in Berlin in the 1980s.

What was going on in that time? (Hint: Something about a wall?)

The Handmaid's Tale takes place in The Republic of Gilead. In this alternative future state, the democratic government has been overthrown and replaced by a totalitarian one. What makes Gilead so scary is that it still looks like the world we know--Gilead has town with houses, schools with gymnasiums, stores to shop in...except that the functions and details of these objects are completely different.

The Handmaid's Tale takes place in the near distant future. All women's rights are gone--consequently, women's role in society is defined by the government and is based on each woman's fertility and social status.

All women who still have viable ovaries become handmaids.

Handmaid: A personal maid, a female servant, or a subordinate woman

The Handmaid's Tale deals with many biblical allusions. In order to prepare, let's dissect some of these elements:

*What is an allusion? (You may use an resource to find this definition. Please cite your source!)

*In your opinion, why do authors use allusions in their stories? (What is the point? Why affect might allusions have on the story, or on the reader?)

Making Predictions

What is a dystopian novel?

Can you name any dystopian novels?

*In your opinion, what level of control does our government in the United States CURRENTLY have over reproduction/family planning? Please use examples to support your thoughts.

*From your perspective, is this the same level of control as other countries in the world? Who is more "harsh"? Who is more lenient?

*Based on the questions above, make a prediction about the plot/characters of The Handmaid's Tale.

Utopia: A community or society that has highly desirable or perfect qualities

Dystopia: An imaginary society in which social or technological trends have culminated in a greatly diminished quality of life or degradation of values.

Some characteristics of dystopias:

• The world is frighteningly familiar to our own.
• The government or some ruling force controls the people.
• Freedom is restricted (freedom of speech, intellect, information, etc).
• Citizens have a fear of the outside world, or a fear of questioning the ruling force.
• Citizens uniformly conform t expectations. Individuality and dissent are discouraged.

"Dystopian literature is a potent vehicle for criticizing existing social conditions and political systems. While utopian literature portrays ideal worlds, dystopian literature depicts the flaws and failures of imaginative societies. Often these societies are related to utopias, and the dystopian writers have chosen to reveal shortcomings of those social systems previously considered ideal."

-M. Keith Booker, author of Dystopian Literature: A Theory and Research Guide

*With a partner, restate the difference between "utopian" and "dystopian" literature in your own words.

"Dystopian literature investigates how the human impulse to create utopia (a perfect world) goes awry when it meets the power to make such a place a reality, creating a dystopia instead."

*Based on these definitions, name one dystopian work and explain why it fits in the dystopian category. This may be literature, but it might also be a film or TV show.