Comparison 1984 dystopian societies come into existence
Comparison between ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and ‘1984’The word “dystopia” comes from adding the latin prefix “dys-” which means bad, to the word “utopia”. Dystopian describes an imaginary society that is as dehumanizing and unpleasant as possible. In both the novels “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “1984” dystopian societies come into existence, but arise for different reasons. In Atwood’s novel “The Handmaid’s Tale’, she illustrates how environmental causes can lead to a decline in birth rate, which could steer women into a state of bearing children involuntarily. In contrast, “1984” portrays a terrorized society which has been taken over by a heinous group of leaders who force all citizens to abide by their rules.
Although both novels come about two very diverse dystopian society in different ways, they equally highlight themes such as lack of individuality, hardship, and total supervision.It is evident in Atwood’s novel that the loss of individuality illustrates one of the main themes in her novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale”. Handmaid’s were stripped from their name along with any other self indicator of one’s individualism. The Handmaid’s are renamed with the prefix Of- combined with their Commander’s first name to indicate ownership. The protagonist, Offred, was sent to the Red Centre to become re-educated on the societies new ideology to become a Handmaid. Her only purpose was to have meaningless and emotionless sex with her commander so she could reproduce and give away her babies.
The Handmaid’s were stripped away from their expression of words and actions, as they were limited as to what they could talk about or do.Much like the lack of identity in “The Handmaid’s Tale”, Orwell’s depiction of a dystopian society run by a tyrannical government in his novel “1984” also implicates the loss of individualism in a quite similar way. Winston Smith, the protagonist in the novel, begins to write in a diary- an act attainable of death- to defy the government and hold on to his identity the only was he could.
Both novels were written as this is what society will look like in a few decades, which can easily be seen as a near future based on our government’s actions and wars taking place presently. From losing her husband, child, career, and self-identity, Offred faced many hardships during her life. Atwood shows us this by constantly referring to the past and present time, illustrating to the reader how Offred got to the point where she was currently.
The life of a Handmaid led many women to have psychotic breakdowns and become mentally depressed as they were stripped from their old life so quickly and were forced upon the inhumane duty of reproducing for the rich who were infertile themselves. Mention NickIn ‘1984’ Winston faces different hardships under the rule of the “Big Brother”, who was the new government that led through a totalitarian approach. Throughout the novel, The eyes, which was the law enforcement in the Republic of Gilead, were always watching for individuals who portray rebellion or act against the government’s political views. In Winston’s society, the “Big Brother” is always watching. Telescreens- which operate as television screens, microphones, and security cameras- are placed everywhere.
Each action he took was being watched by the Big Brother, no place was ever safe or private for him to express individuality or defy against the government and their political views.