THE HANDMAID’S TALEBY MARGARET ATWOOD

“…I like the dreams of the future better than the his-tory of the past.”

-Thomas Jefferson

Chauvinism (-st)

Theocracy

TERMINOLOGY

Time: Futuristic society

Place: the Republic of Gilead

Theocracy, Stratified society

Subjugated

women

Man vs. ManMan vs. Society

Man vs. Fate

ABOUT THE BOOK

Dystopian future society

Totalitarian government

Language as a tool to control the public

Sexual intercourse only for reproduction

“…I do not say making love, because this is not what he's doing. Copulating too would be inaccurate, because it would imply two peo-ple and only one is involved. Nor does rape cover it: nothing is going

on here that I haven't signed up for." (page 94)

CONNECTION TO 1984

Unconditional submission to the male membercould own no business without special permission could not own property of any kindDuty to producing a male heir

MIDDLE AGES

To focus on the gender role

Oppressed women VS. Omnipotent men

Power of language

Dystopian future society

To continue on the motif of red color

OBJECTIVE

MY WORK

No artistic creation allowed in the futuristic society

Clear portrayal of the reality

permanence

WHY PHOTOGRAPHY?

Body

Tool

Hand

Women

Bounded

Household

Eye

Men

Clairvoyance

Penetration

Control

WHY BODY, HAND, AND EYE?

Represents male power

Eye: omniscient

Light: enlightenment

Size: domineering power

Position: center of the

world

THE EYE

Represents female

Hand: household work

Window: oppressed

Black: fear, unknown

Key phrases from the

book: motif

THE HAND…

Black: doomed-fate White: innocent Red: handmaid’s color

Wine: religious allusion

Position of the glass

ENIGMA

Enjoyed reading 1984 or Brave New World

Likes to read scientific fiction

About dystopian future

RECOMMENDED TO THOSE…