Texts are, by nature, cultural artifacts, intrinsically influenced by the societies from which they emerge. Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (1985) offers a "spin on today's society": the phallocentric dictatorship of Gilead, seen through the eyes of the narrator Offred. Set in a totalitarian and repressive theocracy, Atwood warns of the danger of a fundamentalist religious ideology – likely influenced by the global resurgence of totalitarianism in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She issues a warning, particularly to readers, about the need for feminism - due to the subversive nature of patriarchy (written in the shadow of the anti-feminist backlash of the 1980s), as well as the need for women to work together rather than against each other others. With the establishment of the United Nations Environment Program in 1972, as well as the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962, global concern over environmental degradation was evident by the 1980s – influencing the warning Atwood's dystopian film about the need to preserve our environment. Hence Atwood's contextual concerns arise in the novel. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'? Get the original essay The 1980s were marked by environmental concerns, influencing The Handmaid's Tale's dystopian depiction of a ravaged environment and its suggestion of the need to preserve our environment “before”. it's too late. Environmental concerns of the 1980s were evident from the 1983 United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Report), the creation of the United Nations Environment Program, and the 1983 gas leak disaster. Union Carbide in Bhopal, India – which sparked huge protests and global anger. Offred describes “an Unbaby, with a pinhead, or two bodies, or a snout…or webbed feet.” This disturbing dystopian image evokes Greek notions of half-man, half-beast creatures – implying the need to avoid this scenario of environmental destruction. On numerous occasions, Offred observes Serena Joy's character in the garden "positioning her shears" "like a suicide bomber attacking the pods." Pods are reproductive organs of plants, so on a figurative level this could be interpreted as humanity, "suicide bombers" destroying the future of the planet and killing themselves in doing so. Writing at the forefront of the environmental movement of the 1980s, Atwood emphasized the importance of environmental preservation. Atwood submits an indictment of fundamentalist religion, likely influenced by her fears about the resurgence of the American New Right, such as the Moral Majority of 1979, figures such as Pat Robertson, as well as the rise of the Iranian theocracy of 1979 and sharia law under Ayatollah Khomeini. The Giladean regime forces its “handmaids” to undertake daily prayer. Offred states that “what we prayed for was emptiness, that we might be worthy to be filled: with grace, with self-denial, with sperm, and with babies.” This very sardonic, yet humorous statement highlights the emptiness and hypocrisy of the regime, perverting what should be a meaningful religious act. Offred also humorously states that "the Bible is kept under lock and key, as people once kept tea under lock and key." To a modern reader, the idea of ​​locking up the tea seems absurd, and through the juxtaposition of these two actions, Atwood highlights the extent to which the regime has perverted thereligious worship. This is also seen in the Gilean slogan that “God is a national resource” as well as the purchasing of “prayers” – highlighting the regime's commercialization and bastardization of worship, and in turn discouraging fundamentalist religion. Atwood critiques a world in which women are complicit in their own subjugation, emphasizing the need for feminism. Serena Joy's character acts as the spokesperson for the regime's anti-feminism – "her speeches were about...how women should stay at home", drawing parallels with that of 1980s Christian televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker. similar speeches. However, Offred's extremely unsavory portrayal of Serena perhaps indicates Atwood's disapproval of the actions of anti-feminist women. For example, Offred presents Serena with a ring on her finger "like a wry smile" "like something mocking her", describing her actions as hypocritical. “Her lips were thin,” her chin “tight as a fist” and her “flat, hostile blue eyes” – evoking Serena's unhappiness and “fury” at having been “taken at her word.” The growing popularity of televangelists during the 1980s, particularly "Praise the Lord Club" with 13 million viewers, likely influenced Atwood's concern about women playing a role in the oppression of other women . After the second wave of feminism of the 1960s-1980s, initiated by figures such as Germaine Greer, a conservative backlash was evident in America – for example, the failure in 1982 of the Equal Rights Amendment (granting Equal Rights for Women) to be passed by Congress – likely influenced Atwood's portrayal of the inevitability of the filtration of patriarchal ideology into society and the necessity of feminism. The company following Gilead in the "historical notes" appears to have made progress regarding gender equality - with a female "Professor Maryann Crescent Moon" presiding over a historical convention. However, Professor Pieixoto then asserts that they "enjoy" the female chair "in two distinct senses, excluding of course the obsolete third" (sexual pleasure). This elicits “laughter” from the audience – showing their acceptance of his belittling of the president. He views it in terms of sexuality, not intellectual capacity – drawing clear parallels with overtly patriarchal Gileadian society and warning the reader of underlying patriarchal ideologies. As readers, we are isolated from Pieixoto's thought process, immediately placing us against him. . However, his sexual puns, acting in stark contrast to Offred's first-person and deeply personal narrative, further distance us from him – condemning the patriarchal values ​​he embodies. Pieixoto refers to the “Underground Femaleroad” – a resistance organization that saves women – as the “Underground Frailroad” – espousing the patriarchal notion that this organization, and the women, were weak and ineffective. This again elicits “laughter” – and implicit approval from the audience. He refers to the commanders as “gentlemen” – a subtle indication of the esteem in which he holds them, despite the creation of a phallocentric system of institutionalized rape, conformity and terror. In light of the anti-abortion riots (after the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion) and the anti-feminist backlash that would characterize the 1980s, Atwood's concern with the omnipresence patriarchal ideas, and therefore the need for feminism is clearly expressed. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get now.