The Handmaidss Tale By Margaret Atwood

The Handmaids’s Tale by Margaret Atwood?The Handmaids’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a dystopia about a world where unrealistic
things take place. The events in the novel could never actually take place in our reality.? This is
most people views about this novel. However the ideas in the novel are not so far fetch. Although
the exact Gilead society would never happen in real life, it is not to say that certain society of the
past or even the present haven’t incorporated some of the Gilead society. This essay will discuss
three examples in real life were the Gilead society was or still is in the world, and prove that some
places in the world then or now, used some of the theories of the Gilead society. First, is in Iran,
and other Arabic Countries, and how the women have no rights of there own. Second, is South
Asian countries that kill babies, because of imperfections or because just of their sex. And third,
during World War 2 when Hitler ran death camps and concentration camps.
In Pakistan, women’s rights are non-existent, and many policies are that of Gilead in The
Handmaid’s Tale. In Gilead, the handmaids must cover their bodies and faces almost completely
with vales and wings. In Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and similar South Asian countries, this is a
must for women. Other Gileadean-like persecutions take place towards women. In Pakistan,
women can be raped, and unless there is full proof that there was no consent, the man will get off
scot free, and the women charged with pre-marital sex and sentenced to a prison term. In
Afghanistan, the police force has and continue to torture and rape innocent women for
unnecessary reasons. This is similar to The Handmaid’s Tale in that Offred, and other handmaids,
not only go through “The Ceremony”, but also can be used and possibly even raped by their
Commanders, and there is nothing the handmaid can do about it. If she speaks, she is usually not
believed, and then she is sent away because she broke the law..

Women are given little to no rights in Gilead. They obey what they are told by the men or
by the Aunts in turn who get their orders from the men. They are not permitted to read or write,
or participate in any extra-curricular activity. For example when Offred is asked to play scrabble,
she thinks ?…Now it`s forbidden for us, Now it`s dangerous, Now it`s indecent…(for handmaids
to play games or even read.) ?(Atwood 130). They are alive only to serve a purpose. In countries
such Iran, women are subject to similar laws. Although more recently they have been allowed
read and write, it is on a strict level only, and activities are out of the question. There is no
specific law against it, however with the Islamic government making it mandatory for all women
to wear complete body coverings, sports and other activities are nearly impossible.
Women in Gilead belong to the men. Whether it was Offred, Ofglen, or Ofwarren, they
were possessive items. In many Arabic countries, women belong to their husband. Men, in turn,
may have many women, which belong to them. They must obey their husbands, or the husband
legally has to right to do what he want to his wife.
The Handmaids in Gilead had one purpose: to have babies. However, two-thirds of the
babies were us sent away and declared a Unbaby, because of imperfections. For example in the
book when Offred says ?What will Ofwarren give birth to? A baby … or something else, an
Unbaby, … We didn’t know exactly what would happen to the babies that didn’t get passed, that
were declared Unbabies. But we knew they were put somewhere, quickly, away?(Atwood 106).

This is very similar to South Asian countries. Many babies are killed every day either because of
imperfections or because they are just not wanted. In India, female babies are killed, because
family’s are so poor they do not want to pay for the girl’s dowry, and wants a boy to get a
Dowry, reportedly 16 million every year.
“It feels as if you’ve been turned inside out. You’ve just given birth and finally you feel
emptied. You’re exhausted. Your breasts are painfully full of milk. And then you look at your
baby. And you see that she’s a little girl. And you know that you have to kill her?. Replace ‘little
girl’ with Unbaby,