“There’s no doubt who holds the real power” (Atwood 136). In the dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, men are responsible of making sure everything is under their control. Throughout the novel, male intimidation and dominance over women is exemplified through men holding superior, honorable jobs to uphold a higher social class, while women only fulfill inferior, domestic responsibilities. This male chauvinist society demonstrates males’ advantage of being able to upgrade their social status and power, while women are to be downgraded and exploited. This corruption of power is laid in favor of men, and upholds the oppression of women in the Gilead Society. Overall, men are represented as the dominant social group to implement …show more content…
While trying to figure out why her credit card was declined, Moira explained to her that, “Women can’t hold property anymore” (Atwood 178). In the novel, women were not allowed to hold possessions because it would give the women financial independence and access to capital. Therefore, the fact that they had to give everything up made women weaker men more powerful, by forcing women to be economically dependent on their husbands. For this reason, Offred states that, “The Commander is the head of the household. The house is what he holds” (Atwood 81). In other words, everything in the house, such as the Handmaid, Marthas, and Wife, belong to him. This is due to them being dependent of him, since the machismo in the society prevents women from being independent by not allowing them to generate money for …show more content…
Throughout the story, women in Gilead live under strict rules that oppress them, and prevent them from self-expression. For instance, during Offred’s flashback about sumer and her training in the Red Centre, Offred recalls Aunt Lydia saying, “ The spectacles women used to make of themselves. Oiling bare backs and shoulders, on the street, in public,... no womender [ sexual assault] used to happen” (Atwood 55). The society makes everyone believe that women should not wear provocative apparel in order to prevent any unwanted sexual advances, ignoring the fact that men are the abusers. Men being allowed to get away with rape and sexual assault is example enough to show how far men’s superiority complex is instilled into the society. In brief, Aunt lydia’s point of view on women’s choice of clothing reflects how in this community, women hold responsibility for men’s actions and should be more conservative to prevent maltreatment. The rules are bent against women when it comes down to procreation as well. This is seen when women whom are infertile are sent away to Jezebels; they are treated like pawns in negotiations. When the Commander takes Offred to Jezebels, he explains to her that, “ [ Jezebel women] stimulates trade… We try to provide at least as good as they can get elsewhere” ( 237). This shows the power of men, as they determine women who are being used at Jezebels have no say