Women of Gilead as colonized subjects in Margaret Atwood’s novel: A study of postcolonial and feminist aspects of The Handmaid’s Tale

• Main Authors: Zahra Sadeghi, Narges Mirzapour
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2020-01-01
• Series: Cogent Arts & Humanities
• Subjects: post-colonialism; feminism; the handmaid’s tale; handmaids; subjugation; loss of identity
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2020.1785177

Postcolonialism and feminism are two critical discourses that have some common features as both bodies of thought concern the issues of oppression, inequality, binary oppositions, political/social fundamentalism and explain the possible resistance to the cultural legacy of imperialism and colonialism. In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, women, especially handmaids, suffer from the oppression imposed upon them not only by the imperial power but also by the indigenous patriarchal ideology which is similar to the situation of colonized subjects, particularly women, in previously or currently colonized countries. In this respect, Gilead, a place in which this novel took place, is considered as a colonized country in which we will see that although the setting is America, the female characters, who are subjected to both the totalitarian government of Gilead and the patriarchal society, are treated similar to those colonized subjects. Considering Gilead as microcosm of the postcolonial society, this paper explains how the handmaids are treated and forced to experience a life of passivity and submissiveness.