Classwork 1st November 2010: Features with evidence from the text

Rank order he features from one to ten, starting with the one that best characterised the novel for you as a reader.
This is a novel:
1. About the exploitation of women
2.Of alienation and unbelonging
3. About male power and conflict (partiarchal society)
4. Exploring political systems (women's bodies are used as political instruments)
5. about loss, e.g of freedom, mothers, children
6.with a strong sense of place and time (only two walks a day)
7. that explores a society based on repressive religious systems
8.
9.
10.

For your top three features, find evidence from the text to support and explain your choices.

1. The exploitation of women:
One of the main features for me within the Handmaids tale is the fact that women are exploited to have children against their will.
The handmaids have no choice but to have sex with the commanders and bear their children, the only other choice is to go to the colonies where diseases are a high risk. The handmaids are made to wear red and only red, the connotation of the colour red are fertility. They handmaids have to follow rules and regulations "no need to use trains".

2. Manipulation and Power in Gilead:
Another feature within the handmaids tale is the presence of manipulation and power. Although the society of Gilead is a theocracy there is no one in charge or at the top of the hierarchy. there is no one for people to turn to because there is no government.
Offred knows that she has power because of her fertility, however she cannot use this to her advantage. Moreover with the relationship with the commander she slowly gains power, however she cannot use this as a strength because the commander will at no extents protect her from his wife (the previous handmaid committed suicide)
She also learns that Handmaids kill themselves in order to gain some final power about how they die.

3. Sexuality:
Lesbians and gays get executed, abortion doctors get executed, they ritualized strange and weird sexual relations which are supposedly supported by the bible?