THT - Gender AO1+AO2

Thesis of gender

• Gilead is founded upon patriarchal idealism; both male and female characters are delegated specific roles: the female characters embody roles of domesticity and reproduction; the male characters fulfil oppressive, sexist, militant roles.

• Note that this overly-simplified, reductive system of labelling is to sate male interests; therefore, while it is the women who appear incapable, infantilized, it is in fact the male characters who require such simplification; it is them who cannot grasp the prospect of women as complex, rounded individuals.

• YET despite the physical powerlessness of women, their bodies hold great power, and so should they take control over their own sexuality, they could entirely re-shape social structure.

Importance of Gender Roles

By analysing the different roles of men and women, we can see which traits that society values and gain an insight into society's idealised versions of gender.

The literary concept of The Other is also an important one. - The Other is typically someone who doesn't fit into social norms - in this case, people who don't fit neatly into traditional ideas of masculine or feminine e.g. the unwomen - and symbolises people who are not accepted by society.

Gender roles in Gilead

• In Gilead, a religious patriarchy, there are roles for men and women that are shaped around Biblical ideas of gender.

• While high-class men are assigned to be Commanders, and are able to participate politically, socially, and economically in Gilead, the women are assigned to more domestic and subservient roles.

• This is reminiscent of the gender roles of the 1940s and 1950s in the United States.

• In The Handmaid's Tale, however, different women occupy different domestic roles. The Wives keep order in the house; The Handmaids' duty is to procreate; and The Marthas' job is to cook and clean.

masculinity in THT

• Examined in the context of the Commander's masculinity: unequal, abusive, corrupt; Luke's masculinity: slightly misogynistic; and Nick's masculinity: equals, fair, honest.

• The portrayal of the characters can be linked to masculinity and Atwood's views on masculinity.

THE COMMANDER:

• "There's no doubt about who holds the real power" (C23)

• "He might be toying, some cat-and-mouse routine" (C2)

• "I envy the Commander his pen. It is one more thing I would like to steal." (C29)

• "women can't add" (C29)

• "There was nothing for them to do with women"

• "the sex was too easy"

• "There was nothing to work for, nothing to fight for"

• "Inability to feel. Men were turning off on sex even"

• "What he wants is intimacy, but I can't give him that" (C32)

• "Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some" (C32).

• "All we've done is return things to nature's norm"

• "But I suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence" (C34)

• "It's like walking into the past"

• "His voice sounds pleased, delighted even"

• "Nature demands variety, for men"

• "It's Nature's plan"

• "she's a sociologist. Or was. That one was a lawyer, that one was in business, an executive position" (C37)

• The Commander symbolises masculine ideals. He is white, straight, Christian, able-bodied, and male. Most importantly, though, he is powerful. Atwood intentionally made the Commander this way to reflect American ideals of masculinity.

• One of the primary ways the Commander maintains his power is through sexism. Throughout the novel, he makes sexist comments about women and often perpetuates the idea that he is superior because of his gender.

• The Commander shows that he recognises that while Gilead has arguably improved life for people like him -- who fit into traditional masculine ideals -- it has made things "worse for some"; therefore whilst he acknowledges the injustice, he does not use his power to improve the system that he's created.

• The Commander does not see women as equals, but as instruments for his own pleasure.

NICK:

• "He seems indifferent to most of what I have to say, alive only to the possibilities of my body, though he watches me while I'm speaking. He watches my face" (C41)

• "I tell him my real name and feel that therefore I am known" (C41)

• While her relationship with the Commander is coercive and unequal, Offred begins to have an affair with Nick because it is empowering and gives her a sense of identity.

• However note that Nick is still more interested in her body; is Atwood suggesting that this is a universal trait among men?

LUKE:

• "Or Luke thought she was funny. I only pretended to think so. Really she was a little frightening. She was in earnest" (C8)

• "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" (C17).

• "I didn't go to any of the marches. Luke said it would be futile and I had to think about them, my family, him and her. I did think about my family. I started doing more housework, more baking" (C28)

• "That night, after I'd lost my job, Luke wanted to make love [...] He doesn't mind this, I thought. He doesn't mind it at all. Maybe he even likes it. We are not each other's, anymore. Instead, I am his" (C28)

Luke is Offred's husband and, although the two love each other, he is still a bit misogynistic. He is meant to contrast with the Commander and show that even modern men - those who are not blatant misogynists and may even identify as a feminist allies - can be oppressive towards women.

• Luke thinks Serena is 'funny', thus showing how he does not take her and her ideas seriously. Perhaps even because he is aware of the fact that he would not be as affected if what she was preaching about came to be.

• Offred, on the other hand, thinks that Serena Joy's advocating for a regressive, patriarchal way of life is 'frightening', because she grasps the danger that it poses to her as a woman.

• Offred's relationship with Luke shows how their relationship empowers her and often provides her with comfort.

• Though Luke does exhibit inklings of liking the new regime.

femininity in THT

• The roles of women are divided into different identities that are meant to represent different feminine ideals e.g. Wives symbolise domesticity; Handmaids symbolise reproduction; Marthas symbolise housekeeping and caregiving.

• Each identity and role is meant to stand on its own. By designing their society this way, Gilead is able to reduce women to one aspect of their identity and, thus, not acknowledge them as real, complete individuals.

• Can be examined in the context of reproductive identity.

• NOTE the viewing of Unwomen as 'the other'; if women cannot reproduce they are undesirable.

• WOMEN'S IDENTITY = their role

• FEMININITY = reproduction

• Note that there is also a hierarchy between these roles: wives have more power than the Marthas or the Handmaids, but the Handmaids are able to have children, so they are viewed as more valuable to society. This creates envy, which is strategic, as it prevents the women from forming friendships or alliances and organising to overthrow the ruling powers of the Gilead.

The aunts:

• "They had electric cattle prods slung on thongs from their leather belts" (C1).

• "It's not easy for me either"

• The Aunts are a bit of an outlier in The Handmaid's Tale.

• They are older women, so they cannot have children, but they are allowed to have power in society because they are the enforcers and most loyal followers of Gilead's regime.

• The Aunts often resort to violence to indoctrinate the Handmaids; while violence, power, and control are traits that are more typically associated with men, the Aunts are permitted to break with traditional gender norms.

• Ultimately, the Aunts are a reminder that women can exist outside of feminine gender roles, so long as their ultimate mission is to serve the patriarchy they live in. So, they exercise artificial power; it is a mockery of independence.

The wives:

• "I was expecting a Martha, but it was her instead, in her long power-blue robe, unmistakeable." (C3)

• "No benches for them, they get real seats, upholstery. They face front and are not curtained off. They know where they're going" (C19)

• "It's ladies, not girls, because of the wives" (C34)

• The comparison between the Virgin Mary and the Wives is important because it shows the use of Christian iconography in Gilead.

• By having the Wives associated with the Virgin Mary, it also shows what values are important in Gilead (i.e. purity, serenity, motherhood).

• The Wives are a way to symbolise Gilead's ideal version of a woman: domestic, subservient and pure.

• This difference shows how the Wives are treated better than the Handmaids because they have a higher social status.

• That the Wives 'know where they're going' is also telling. The Handmaids are not usually given information because of the fear that they'll escape. By letting the Wives see where they're going, Atwood implies that there's no concern that the Wives will escape. This is likely because they are content - to some degree - in their roles, as they have power that other women (such as Handmaids) don't.

The Handmaids:

• "we still had our bodies" (C1)

• "Everything except the wings around my face is red: the color of blood, which defines us" (C2)

• "I enjoy the power; power of a dog bone, passive but there. I hope they get hard at the sight of us and have to rub themselves against the painted barriers, surreptitiously." (C4) - "If I have an egg, what more can I want?" (C19)

• "We are two-legged wombs, that's all: sacred vessels, ambulatory chalices" (C23)

• "I'm a cloud, congealed around a central object" (C13)

• "Remember, said Aunt Lydia. For our purposes your feet and your hands are not essential" (C15)

• "they're considered, still, too dangerous for positions of such power" (C34)

• Handmaids are reduced to reproductive objects; diminished entirely of individual identity.

• Though note, despite the physical powerlessness of women, their bodies hold great power, and thus should they take control over their own sexuality, they could entirely re-shape social structure.

The colonies:

• "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" (C11)

• "But she'll never be sent to the colonies, she'll never be declared Unwoman. That is her reward" (C21)

• Older women or women who are unable to get pregnant within a certain time period are categorised as "barren," labeled as an "Unwoman," and sent to the Colonies.

• By linking gender and reproduction so inextricably, it further diminishes the identity of women to only their reproductive ability. The negative prefix "un" indicates that women in The Handmaid's Tale who cannot have children exist in a kind of symbolic void.

• In other words, the idea of an "Unwoman" shows that reproduction is central to the definition of womanhood.

• Similarly, women who rebel against Gilead are often sent to the Colonies.

• this shows how rebellious women are not valuable, as they go against the traditional gender roles that Gilead preaches.

• The Colonies represents 'the other' - it is used as a threat, not desirable: women who do not reproduce are not desirable.