Gilead: The Gender-inequal Republic

The Handmaid’s Tale is an interesting story about different matters from extreme perspectives such as the dystopian society, violence, and women’s situation. The most interesting theme in this novella is about gender equality or gender inequality in a patriarchal society and is more concrete about the victimization of women in the state of Gilead. That is, the suppressive structures of the state of Gilead can be reflected upon from different perspectives. This makes the story more interesting to discuss in societal contexts but still, the matter of gender inequality in the newly formed Republic of Gilead is the prevailing theme in The Handmaid’s Tale. How is this oppression illustrated in women’s situation in the Republic of Gilead?

Gender inequality in the republic of Gilead is addressed from an interesting point of view. The matter is illustrated as an intersectional and women consequently are victimized for just being women and for no other reasons. That is, women are oppressed because of being women in a totalitarian state. They are oppressed once because of being women while at the same time everyone in Gilead is oppressed because the state is totalitarian. Therefore, Atwood takes the issue to extreme levels and illustrates women who are stripped of their identities and who are used as a tool just for reproductive purposes. Women in Gilead mainly have no rights at all, not even the most basic rights such as reading or having a name. Atwood creates a combination of an oppressive government with extreme politics to enhance the patriarchal society and incorporate inequalities in the structure of the society. Giving the women in Gilead no right to have a name is such a symbolic reference that makes a clear image of the matter of inequality between genders. 

“My name isn’t Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it’s forbidden. I tell myself it doesn’t matter, your name is like your telephone number, useful only to others; but what I tell myself is wrong, it does matter.”- Offred, page 84. 

Furthermore, it is rather interesting how oppression and inequality are portrayed by the author. Women are oppressed and are considered unequal to men regardless of which level or class in the society they belong to. Even the most privileged women suffer from injustice but in different ways. For example, Serena Joy accepts her husband’s betrayal and unfaithfulness and is involved in the ceremony. She accepts her husband, the commander, to sleep with Offred while Offred’s head is between Serena’s legs. Inequality is so rooted in the social structure that Serena Joy did not even show and rebel against the matter and, to some extent, happily considered that as a normal process of reproduction in society. Gilead succeeded in creating new norms in the society and the new norms includes the acceptance of the patriarchal society by women and obeying it. 

Finally, gender inequality is the prevailing theme of the story despite the existence of other themes that are as interesting as gender equality. Women are treated as properties or as material things owned by other men according to a certain hierarchy in the new society. The social structure is illustrated as based upon the new norms the republic of Gilead created where women are being objectified and victimized while still, they obey the new structure and the new norms that Gilead imposed. Acceptance is an important notion in the story as the whole structure is based upon the common acceptance of most women to the new social structure.