To what extent do the political regimes in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ present complete control over their citizens?

The overwhelming totalitarianism exerted by the political regimes presented to us by Margaret Atwood and George Orwell arguably serve to completely control their citizens. The notion of government control is a common trope of the dystopian genre and is thus centralised in both novels, being works of dystopian fiction. Both Atwood and Orwell portray societies governed by fear, which pressure the compliance and endurance of their subjects and thus grant the regimes with complete control over them. The novels explore the terror of living under the influence of totalitarian regimes through the experiences of their protagonists, with both writers utilise different narrative voices to reveal the dystopian societies in which they live. Offred’s first-person narration allows the readership to experience her character’s oppression and suffering under Gilead’s patriarchal rule, from her point of view. The construction of Gilead itself stems from Atwood’s reading of masculine dystopian fiction, such as Orwell’s ‘1984’. On the other hand, Orwell’s use of third-person limited omniscient narration provides a detachment from Winston’s character, perhaps signifying rigid control. Still, the extent to which the political regimes in these novels present complete control over their citizens should be evaluated.