Representation of Colors in Margaret Atwoods The...

Representation of Colors in Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale Imagine if you can, living in a world that tells you what you are to wear, where to live, as well as your position and value to society. In Margaret Atwoods novel, The Handmaids Tale, she shows us the Republic of Gilead does just that. Offred, the main character, is a Handmaid, whose usefulness is her ovaries. Handmaids are ordered to live in a house with a Commander, his wife, and once a month attempt to become pregnant by the Commander. Throughout Atwoods novel, you will notice she uses different colors for her characters clothing that correspond to their position and place in the Republic of Gilead. They become aware of peoples statuses by the color of their†¦show more content†¦Offred can see herself in the mirror like a distorted shadow, a parody of something, some fairy-tale figure in a red cloak, descending towards a moment of carelessness that is in the same as danger. A Sister, dipped in blood.(8). In Cliff Notes, Mary Ellen Snodgrass wrote, The persistent color mot if suggesting menstruation and the female cycle in the blatant scarlet color of the Handmaids uniform(31). For that reason, it seems appropriate the color used to represent the Handmaids is red. Their job is to deliver a child for Commanders and their wives; therefore, the menstruation cycle has a strong meaning. Giving birth is another representation. Red could be associated with the bleeding and afterbirth that is part of childbirth. The mode of transportation to travel to the birth of a fellow Handmaid is the Birthmobile. The bench seats, curtains, and floor, as well as the Birthmobile itself, is red. The place where all of the of Handmaids are trained as potential breeders is named Red Center. That is where they are taught how to act and present themselves proudly. The Red Center is also where the Handmaids are told everything they cannot do anymore, such as read, because they are women. In todays society, we associate Red Light Districts with prostitution. Several examples in t he novel show how little the other women in the Republic think of the function of the Handmaids. Perhaps they look at the Handmaids lives as a form ofShow MoreRelatedMargaret Atwood s The Handmaid s Tale1305 Words   |  6 PagesIn the period following the â€Å"sexual revolution† of the 1960s and 1970s characterized by a religious conservative revival, Margaret Atwood wrote the novel The Handmaid’s Tale. With the elections of Ronald Reagan as president of the U.S. and Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of Great Britain, both religious conservatives, many feminists feared that all the progress towards equality they had made during the ‘60s and ‘70s would be reversed. Atwood, thinking no differently than them, decided to createRead MoreTotalitarianism, Violence, and the Color Red in the Handmaid’s Tale1863 Words   |  8 PagesTotalitarianism, Violence, and the Color Red in The Handmaid’s Tale In literature, the color red symbolizes many things, each with its own emotional impact. Red can be associated with violence and bloodshed, or it can be associated with love and intense emotions. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Offred, chosen to be a â€Å"baby-maker† for a couple she was assigned to, desires to escape the dystopian society that she lives in. Thus, Margaret creates a fictional government that uses totalitarianism, violenceRead MoreExpropriation Of Education And Body Image In The Handmaids Tale1880 Words   |  8 PagesDami Kalejaiye Oct. 17, 2017 Literature and Controversy Prof. Kristian Kahn Expropriation of Education, and Body Image in The Handmaid’s Tale. Education is one of the greatest tools available to the advancement and development of humans. It comes as no surprise as to why in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, we are introduced to a patriarchic theocracy, this society heavily subjugated women, and one of the means to install these methods of subjugation of women was to ban the literacy of womenRead MoreMargaret Atwood s The Handmaid s Tale1844 Words   |  8 PagesBoth Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and George Orwell’s 1984 present vivid representations of dystopian future societies, and both encompass themselves with the roles of women within these societies. In Orwell s novel, however, important though women are to Winston’s mental progression, they are not necessarily dominant to the story. Atwood’s novel, however, could obviously not exist within the role of women; the entire basis of the story involves the role of women in the society the authorRead MoreMarga ret Atwood s The Handmaids Tale1793 Words   |  8 PagesAll things unseen: A lengthy analysis of color and clothing in Margaret Atwood’s â€Å"The Handmaids Tale† (IOP) Hello everyone! I’m Kealan Hennessy, and today my presentation is on an analysis of color and its uses in Margaret Atwood’s novel â€Å"The Handmaids Tale†. Colors are something often overlooked due to their naturally occurring nature; they are usually just simple, passive adjectives. Despite this common simplicity, in The Handmaids Tale Atwood uses color to a greater extent, to connect and insinuate