Tale of Handmaid

Women’s Inequality in The Handmaid’s Tale

Women’s inequality is not the same as it is depicted in the scene where Serena Joy asks Offred to secretly have sex with Nick in exchange for an image of his daughter. The primary aim of the handmaids in society was to raise children for the nation. Rape was an abhorrent society of disciplinary penalties like death. Women’s injustice, on the other hand, manifested itself in a variety of forms. First, women were sexual tools that had no emotional freedom to enjoy sex and were not permitted to have erotic activity. Second, the dignity of women was watered down by compelling them to be objects of procreation rather than human beings with sexual feelings who had the right to enjoy sex. When Offred decided to have sex with Nick, she makes a move with Nick having the right to give consent. However, Offred having sex with Nick is of benefit to the wife of her master (Atwood 206). As such, Offered has to is oppressed by being a sex slave and used as a sexual idol for Serena to receive that which she reveres.

Restrictions on Women’s Freedom

Women are further oppressed by not being allowed to have access to the holy book. Reading and writing are activities that women are not supposed to engage with the primary objective being to make them dependent on men. The movement of women is also restricted to women having to ask for permission to visit or leave Gilead. A woman who tries to escape from Gilead is severely beaten. Handmaids are confined to the houses of their masters with the only movement approved being that of going to ceremonial events, which often, is used for sexual escapades.

Work Cited

Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. , 2012. Internet resource.