Objectification is all to common in our society, and is well argued in The Handmaid's Tale...
Sex. Sexy. Sexual desire.
What does it take for a human being to notice another? What do we do to
represent ourselves to the opposite sex? While
as a people, we lie to ourselves about the underground current of gender objectification,
literature has no quibble explicitly expressing the wrongs
in the bodily worship of men and women alike. Margaret Atwood argues in her
controversial novel The Handmaid’s Tale, that women (and men) are unfairly and
perilously objectified in society. Her dreamlike writing style infused with
intense imagery and severe diction reveals the dangerous truth reality fails to
recognize.
In a new dysfunctional society, woman find themselves separated into five classes—“wives” of the social elite, “econowives” of the working class, “aunts” who train women classes, “marthas” who do the brunt chore work, and finally the job of the main character, the “handmaids” whose sole job is to reproduce (Atwood, 24). Never is it the man's fault for rape, beatings, or still babies. A man's position is of the utmost importance after children. They rule over everything and reduce the handmaids to essentially a sex slave.
The protagonist Offred is valued solely for her fertile body. She is generalized and stripped of the identity and this fragments her current mind—everything down to the way she dresses is controlled by the paternal society that rules her dystopian world. The regulations claim to protect women’s bodies—yet “everything except the wings around my [her] face are red” (Atwood, 8). Red: the color of desire. The very shade brings heat to the face when paired with a sexually deprived society. In a world where men are deprived of even touching a woman until gaining a high enough rank, why dress woman in such a tempting way? The answer lies in a reflection of our own society. Women in magazines are stripped of their modesty and their identity to be garbed in nothing but dripping sex appeal. Men are shown shirtless with trousers pulled low enough to leave only inches to the imagination. Turning human beings with passion and emotion into objects taking “pride only in her [their] appearance” spells only trouble as we fight crimes such as rape and kidnapping of young, beautiful people (Atwood, 145). Atwood generously pours on the ugly truth in her novel, and easily opens our eyes to the tempting society we have created, solely because of the naked body.
Atwood makes great use of flashbacks and controversial word choice to push the concept of objectification, connecting both the old world of freely sexualized women, to the new world craving for it. The Commander is head of the house. He is required to get Offred pregnant or she will be shipped off to the colonies. The sex is not enjoyable—it’s made as awkward and mentally painful as possible and dubbed “The Ceremony” (Atwood, 93), though Offred says it is “nothing but f***ing” (Atwood, 94). Being so unceremonious, sex has become a scheduled affair instead of an act of love.
The commander feels this loss and begins to secretly court Offred, eventually brings her to a night club that reveals his moral flaw-he still desires to sexualized woman and be sexualized himself. In these pivotal moments, Atwood reveals the weakness humans have for respecting another’s body. He has her dressed in "feathers" and "sequins" to be visually appealing to his primal mind, and soon after coerces Offred into extra sex on top of the usual ceremony (Atwood, 230). Being that women are scarcely respected in the workforce, it is often the sad truth for a young woman to put her body out for a living. Even men find themselves "sexually abused" in society with high demands for a 'muscular physique or bust' mentality (Atwood, 227). The objectification of Offred, as well as the sexualizing of people today, is the acid to the neutral society the surface lies about.
Margaret Atwood’s novel draws thoughtful arguments toward the way we treat women—and subtly points at men’s battle as well—in the way our society sexualizes each other from head to toe. Whether it is in a world where you cover more to be desired more, or parade down the streets in your birthday suit, the objectification of the human body is clearly a battle we all fight.
In a new dysfunctional society, woman find themselves separated into five classes—“wives” of the social elite, “econowives” of the working class, “aunts” who train women classes, “marthas” who do the brunt chore work, and finally the job of the main character, the “handmaids” whose sole job is to reproduce (Atwood, 24). Never is it the man's fault for rape, beatings, or still babies. A man's position is of the utmost importance after children. They rule over everything and reduce the handmaids to essentially a sex slave.
The protagonist Offred is valued solely for her fertile body. She is generalized and stripped of the identity and this fragments her current mind—everything down to the way she dresses is controlled by the paternal society that rules her dystopian world. The regulations claim to protect women’s bodies—yet “everything except the wings around my [her] face are red” (Atwood, 8). Red: the color of desire. The very shade brings heat to the face when paired with a sexually deprived society. In a world where men are deprived of even touching a woman until gaining a high enough rank, why dress woman in such a tempting way? The answer lies in a reflection of our own society. Women in magazines are stripped of their modesty and their identity to be garbed in nothing but dripping sex appeal. Men are shown shirtless with trousers pulled low enough to leave only inches to the imagination. Turning human beings with passion and emotion into objects taking “pride only in her [their] appearance” spells only trouble as we fight crimes such as rape and kidnapping of young, beautiful people (Atwood, 145). Atwood generously pours on the ugly truth in her novel, and easily opens our eyes to the tempting society we have created, solely because of the naked body.
Atwood makes great use of flashbacks and controversial word choice to push the concept of objectification, connecting both the old world of freely sexualized women, to the new world craving for it. The Commander is head of the house. He is required to get Offred pregnant or she will be shipped off to the colonies. The sex is not enjoyable—it’s made as awkward and mentally painful as possible and dubbed “The Ceremony” (Atwood, 93), though Offred says it is “nothing but f***ing” (Atwood, 94). Being so unceremonious, sex has become a scheduled affair instead of an act of love.
The commander feels this loss and begins to secretly court Offred, eventually brings her to a night club that reveals his moral flaw-he still desires to sexualized woman and be sexualized himself. In these pivotal moments, Atwood reveals the weakness humans have for respecting another’s body. He has her dressed in "feathers" and "sequins" to be visually appealing to his primal mind, and soon after coerces Offred into extra sex on top of the usual ceremony (Atwood, 230). Being that women are scarcely respected in the workforce, it is often the sad truth for a young woman to put her body out for a living. Even men find themselves "sexually abused" in society with high demands for a 'muscular physique or bust' mentality (Atwood, 227). The objectification of Offred, as well as the sexualizing of people today, is the acid to the neutral society the surface lies about.
Margaret Atwood’s novel draws thoughtful arguments toward the way we treat women—and subtly points at men’s battle as well—in the way our society sexualizes each other from head to toe. Whether it is in a world where you cover more to be desired more, or parade down the streets in your birthday suit, the objectification of the human body is clearly a battle we all fight.
Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986. Print.
"Children's Sexualization." Childrens Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.childenvirohealth.com%2Fsexualization-of-children>.
"Handmaid's Tale Illustrations." Illustration Served. N.p., n.d. Web. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.illustrationserved.com%2Fgallery%2FTHE-HANDMAIDS-TALE%2F3704812t>.
"Male Survivor." MaleSurvivor. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. http://www.malesurvivor.org/.
"The Handmaids Tale Visual Essay." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qEHa0rWb8zA.
"Violence Against Women." Sexual Assault and Abuse. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. <http://www.womenshealth.gov/violence-against-women/types-of-violence/sexual-assault-and-abuse.html>.
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986. Print.
"Children's Sexualization." Childrens Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.childenvirohealth.com%2Fsexualization-of-children>.
"Handmaid's Tale Illustrations." Illustration Served. N.p., n.d. Web. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.illustrationserved.com%2Fgallery%2FTHE-HANDMAIDS-TALE%2F3704812t>.
"Male Survivor." MaleSurvivor. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. http://www.malesurvivor.org/.
"The Handmaids Tale Visual Essay." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qEHa0rWb8zA.
"Violence Against Women." Sexual Assault and Abuse. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. <http://www.womenshealth.gov/violence-against-women/types-of-violence/sexual-assault-and-abuse.html>.