In ‘The Handmaids Tale‘ by Margaret Atwood, characters must abandon all moral values in order to survive. Show to what extent you agree with this statement.

The dislocated opening of The Handmaid’s Tale describes a place of imprisonment, presenting a microcosm of the world Offred will be placed in, foreshadowing how her life will be as a handmaid. The initial setting immediately suggests a totalitarian society, as the nostalgic tone that Atwood incorporates by mentioning ‘the games’ that were ‘formerly played there’and the sheets that ‘still said U.S’, indicates that while the location, ‘U.S’, is familiar it is no longer the name of it. In the introduction to the novel Atwood describes living in East Germany and her experiences of;‘The feeling of being spied on, the silences, the changes of subject, the oblique ways in which people might convey information’,have influenced her writing, giving her a personal connection, and insight to the constant monitoring that the handmaid’s experience. She also refers to ‘the repurposed buildings’, and how the people described ‘this used to belong to… but then they disappeared’indicating that this is where the idea for the repurposed gymnasium in the opening scene came from. However, despite the regimental discipline and strict living conditions, with the lines of ‘army cots’ and the aunt’s attempt to keep ‘spaces between’ them so they ‘could not talk’, the narrator and other young women described still attain their social values, and find ways to communicate by whispering and ‘touching each other’s hands’. Their ability to maintain their mental freedom allows them to reminisce about ‘the time before’ and yearn for a better future. Therefore, despite the aunt’s attempts to abandon moral, ethical, and social values within the Christian theocracy, the handmaid’s resistance to these rules allow them to survive and remain sane throughout the tragic events.Similarly, the name of the brothel ‘Jezebel’s’ is a reference to the Phoenician princess and wife of King Ahab. The word ‘Jezebel’ has become synonymous with an immoral and deceitful woman who wears makeup, wigs and other finery. The description of ‘perfume in the air and stale smoke, and the scent of working flesh’, creates an ominous tone and indicates the provocative nature of the setting. Atwood alludes to the biblical verse from Galatians 5:19 – 21 when describing ‘the scent of working flesh’; ‘Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness…’The criticism of non-monogamous relationships from the Bible emphasises the dehumanisation of the women, and brands them as sexual objects for rent. ‘Officially’ they do not exist, reinforcing the paradox; it appears the commander is taking Offred out to give her a sense of freedom, however he takes her to a place where woman are most degraded. By choosing the name ‘Jezebel’s’, Atwood alerts us further to the hypocrisy and sexism that characterise the theocratic military dictatorship of Gilead. Similarly, the colloquial term ‘Red Centre’, meaning re-education centre, uses colour imagery to symbolise what happens here. It also alludes to the red dresses worn by the handmaid’s as the colour red symbolises fertility which is the ‘Red Centre’s’ primary teaching. Red suggests the blood of the menstrual cycle and of childbirth. However, red is also a traditional colour of sexual sin and lust which is fitting to the role of the handmaid’s as although their reproductive role is justified in the Bible, in a sense they commit adultery by having sex with the Commanders, who are married men. This clearly breaches moral codes and reiterates the abandonment of moral, ethical, and social values.