The Handmaid's Tale, A Parable of Woman's Role

The Handmaid's Tale: A Parable of Woman's Role The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is set in the near future in the Republic of Gilead, formerly the United States. A religious extremist right-wing movement assassinated the president and congress and took complete control of the government.The constitution was suspended and liberties revoked. Women found themselves completely subordinated in the new regime, generally assigned to the legal care of a male "guardian." Offred, the main …

…as a warning but rather as a reflection (albeit an extreme one) of the past. Patriarchal institutions have controlled most cultures for thousands of years. Women may have been allowed to do other things, but arguably their primary purpose, according to the conventions of society, was to have children and propagate humanity. The Handmaid's Tale could be a warning about the future, but it is also certainly a cry to the injustices of the past.