Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Cammay Thomas
Professor McGriff
American Literature 2
April 5, 2018
The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood, is about a dystopia in which females
were thought to be only useful for being impregnated. This story takes place in a community
called “Gilead”, where women are stripped of their power in this hierarchal land. The story is
being told by a handmaid by the name of Offred. Once a month, Offred is set to have sex with
her commander while the commander’s wife is in the room. The ceremonial sex act is not about
pleasure, but specifically to procreate with intentions of the baby being given to the host family.
The handmaids were thought to be fertile women, which is the only reason that they are ripped
away from civil society. There were some women in Gilead that were thought to be barren, and
in return they were rewarded with a handmaid to conceive a child for their family. My question
Infertility is the inability to conceive children. Atwood focuses on the problem of women
being seen as fertility objects. The citizens of Gilead had major issues with reproduction, and its
residents gave a few reasons as to why society had been forsaken. The novel mentioned things
like birth control, pollution, and STD’s were all culprits of infertility. “There is no such thing as
a sterile man anymore, not officially” (Atwood 11). “There are only women who are fruitful and
women who are barren, that's the law” (Atwood 11). Gilead’s resolution to solving their problem
with fertility, is to divvy up the last few fertile women left, and give them to the men of power
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and their wives. For things to seem legal and of God, the residents of Gilead perform sex
ceremonies, and then recite a scripture before each act. This arrangement doesn’t seem to be
working in the book, so most of the characters are breaking laws and finding other ways to
produce children. Most of the wives in the story maintained gardens, and it is thought to be a
symbolism of fertility.
In today’s society, or what some would call real life, most humans agree that fertility
issues aren't gendered specific. “More than 7.3 million Americans are infertile” (Should You Be
Evaluated for Fertility?). The main sign of infertility is the inability for a couple to get pregnant,
and there may not be any other signs shown. Infertility may be due to a single cause involving
both parties, or it may even be a combination of factors. Studies show that it is not necessary for
a couple to see a fertility specialist until they have tried to conceive for one year. Infertility can
happen from birth, or perhaps something may have happened to the person along the way. Some
of the reasons for infertility in a male include abnormal sperm production or function, diabetes,
prior infection, trauma, extreme heat, and certain genetic diseases to name a few. The cause of
female infertility may include ovulation disorders, early menopause, problems in the opening of
the cervix, tumors, fallopian tube damage, STD’s, and medications to name a few. There are also
quite a few risk factors that will affect male and female that causes infertility. Age, tobacco use,
alcohol use, being overweight and underweight are all said to be risk factors. There is a test that
can be done to determine infertility. These procedures can be done over several months. There is
no guarantee that conception will occur after going through the process. The process for a male
to determine fertility is a semen analysis, ultra sound, biopsy, and a physical exam. The test that
can be done for females is a physical exam, ovulation testing, a blood test to measure hormone
levels, imaging test, ovarian reserve testing, laparoscopy, and genetic testing. Most people would
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not have to undergo most of these test before the issue is found. Most of these routines go on a
The real world and Gilead are very different. My honest opinion is that any person that
has had fertility treatment. The pressure that Offred felt each month can be understood by every
fertility patient throughout the world. When it comes down to conceiving, prior pregnancy does
not guarantee of future conception. The handmaids had pressure daily to prove their worthiness
to society. It was so much pressure trying to conceive as a handmaid that the character named
Moira escaped and Janine tried to commit suicide. Most fertility patients have an onset of
depression that heightens after many years of trying to conceive. Contrary to popular belief,
suicide and failed marriages are not uncommon. The book doesn’t even remotely hit on the
realization of how fertility works in the real world. The humiliation in this story reached an all-
time high once the women were stripped from their families, and then they were forced to
conceive a child with a man they did not love. Surrogacy doesn’t include rape, kidnapping, and
being turned into a sex slave. Surrogacy is supposed to be done in a humane way with respect.
In conclusion, Atwood is said to be one of the most influential writers today. I have a
fond attraction to modernist literature, and Atwood held nothing back when writing this story.
This story touched on feminism, fertility issues, religion to name a few. Modernism is a style or
movement in the arts that aims to break with classical and traditional forms. This story came out
a few years after the first successful IVF treatment. Atwood didn’t mind speaking on an issue
that plagued the country, even if the issue was in a fictitious land. Atwood put a focus on
Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. New York: Anchor Books, a division of Penguin
"Should You Be Evaluated for Infertility?" www.parents.com. Meridith Corporation, n.d. Web.
18 March 2018.