Margaret Atwood’s novels The Handmaid’s Tale (T.H.T., 1985) and Oryx and Crake (O. & C., 2003) are works of speculative fiction that are set in the near future. Both of the depicted scenarios take place in the U.S.A. and could be classified as “survivor’s stories” as they are told from the perspective of a person that survived the new system or the catastrophe the books deal with.
T.H.T. takes the reader into an oppressive system that has become reality in the year 2005. In this system women are divided into different kinds of “functional groups” according to their abilities. The story is told by the handmaid Offred who – as all handmaids – is still believed to be fertile. Thus she is solely good for childbearing and has not got any choice. This system however is confined to the United States so that there is still hope for an escape to a better life for the people living under the system. The scenario in O. & C. on the other hand occurs around the year 2025 and depicts a world wide catastrophe where Snowman – the narrator of the story – is one of the few surviving human beings.
This paper will compare the two novels according to some points of analysis. I had to confine myself to a few themes as it is impossible to include all topics that could be of importance.
To start with, I will take a look at the social and political background of the time the novels were written in, followed by a generic analysis of the works. Secondly I will answer the question about the inspiration for these novels and I will deal with the epilogues Atwood added to her books. This will be followed by a chapter about the main topics of the novels which are reproduction, religion and sexuality. Last but not least I will compare the main characters and discuss the message of her works.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx And Crake: A Comparison
2.1 Social and political Background
2.2 Genre, Inspirations for Writing the Novels
2.3 Epilogues
2.4 Reproduction, Religion and Sexuality
2.5 Comparison of the main Characters
2.6 Message of the Novels
2.7 Conclusion
3 Bibliography
Research Objectives and Topics
This academic paper aims to conduct a comparative analysis of Margaret Atwood's novels "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Oryx and Crake" by examining their speculative nature and exploring how both narratives serve as warnings regarding societal trends, biotechnology, and the erosion of human rights.
- Social and political backdrops of the novels
- Genre classifications and literary inspirations
- Interconnected themes of reproduction, religion, and sexuality
- Comparative analysis of the protagonists Offred and Snowman (Jimmy)
- The overarching critical messages of Atwood’s speculative fiction
Excerpt from the Book
2.1 Social and political Background
Both T.H.T. and O. & C. are novels that play in the near future but are closely connected to the social, political and environmental problems of the time they were written in.
As already mentioned, T.H.T. was published in the year 1985 and depicts an imaginary social system of the year 2005. The state of Gilead’s inhabitants – most of them are infertile – reflects the people’s fear in the 1980’s of the consequences of the new methods of birth control that could not be foreseen. The spreading of AIDS and different kinds of sexually transmitted diseases through promiscuity and sexual freedom in general added to this fear. “Though at that time men and women tried each other on, casually, like suits, rejecting whatever did not fit.” “If you don’t like it, change it, we said, to each other and to ourselves. And so we would change the man, for another one.”
America’s counterculture of the 1960s involving experimental use of drugs, race relations and all other topics mentioned above were surely Atwood’s main contemporary “inspirations” for her nightmarish vision of the future. At the end of her book, professor Pieixoto lists up the possible reasons for this development towards infertility in Gilead: “the widespread availability of birth control of various kinds, including abortion”, “R-strain syphilis”, “infamous AIDS epidemic”, “still-births, miscarriages, and genetic deformities”, “various nuclear –plant accidents, shutdowns, and incidents of sabotage”, “leakages from chemical and biological-warfare stockpiles and toxic-waste disposal sites” and “the uncontrolled use of chemical insecticides, herbicides, and other sprays.”
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter outlines the scope of the study, introducing the two novels and the comparative approach taken to examine their speculative themes.
2 The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx And Crake: A Comparison: This central section analyzes the shared and diverging aspects of both novels, focusing on societal contexts and thematic structures.
2.1 Social and political Background: The section discusses the real-world anxieties and political contexts of the 1980s and the early 2000s that influenced Atwood's depiction of the future.
2.2 Genre, Inspirations for Writing the Novels: This part explores the literary categorization of the books as speculative fiction and identifies key influences such as Orwell and historical developments.
2.3 Epilogues: This chapter examines the specific role of the quotations used at the beginning of the novels as thematic introductions to the narrative crises.
2.4 Reproduction, Religion and Sexuality: The analysis centers on how both regimes utilize religion and the control of biological reproduction to enforce social order and suppress individuality.
2.5 Comparison of the main Characters: This chapter contrasts the experiences and psychological states of the protagonists, Offred and Snowman, in their respective oppressive systems.
2.6 Message of the Novels: The author summarizes the critical warnings inherent in the texts, emphasizing the importance of questioning current societal trajectories.
2.7 Conclusion: The conclusion synthesizes the findings, highlighting the contemporary relevance of Atwood's critique and the effectiveness of her speculative scenarios.
3 Bibliography: This section lists all primary and secondary literature used to support the analysis.
Keywords
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake, Speculative Fiction, Dystopia, Gilead, Reproduction, Religion, Sexuality, Comparative Literature, Social Critique, Biotechnology, Offred, Snowman, Future Scenarios
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper provides a comparative analysis of Margaret Atwood's novels "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Oryx and Crake," focusing on their portrayal of speculative future societies.
What are the central thematic fields covered in the work?
The study examines the intersections of social and political background, genre influences, reproduction, religion, sexuality, and the character development of the protagonists.
What is the primary objective of this investigation?
The primary goal is to show how Atwood uses these novels to send warning signals about current societal trends, such as environmental neglect and the abuse of biotechnology.
Which scientific method is utilized in the paper?
The research uses a comparative literary analysis method to identify similarities and differences in narrative structure, thematic elements, and social critiques across both novels.
What is the main content of the analytical chapters?
The main part analyzes the social origins of the stories, the importance of their respective epilogues, the dehumanizing effects of controlled reproduction, and the psychological impact on the central characters.
Which keywords define this analysis?
The analysis is characterized by terms such as speculative fiction, dystopia, Gilead, social critique, reproduction, and biotechnology.
How does the role of naming act as a motif in the novels?
The paper explores how the forced changing of names in both Gilead and the post-catastrophe world of "Oryx and Crake" serves to strip individuals of their pasts and enforce total identification with their present oppressive roles.
What is the significance of the epilogues in the context of the novels?
The epilogues, which contain various historical and literary quotations, are interpreted as a summary of core themes that warn the reader about the potential real-world trajectory of the depicted societies.
Why does the author prefer one novel over the other?
The author expresses a personal preference for "Oryx and Crake," noting its closer alignment with present-day biological and environmental concerns.
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- Martina Schönherr (Autor:in), 2007, Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' and 'Oryx and Crake' - A Comparison, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/134143
