Discuss the portrayal of dystopian societies within Orwell’s ‘1984’ and Atwood’s ‘Handmaids Tale’.

Handmaids Tale
1. Dystopia
  1. Many of the book's plot elements also fit neatly into the genre of dystopian literature. In a dystopia, we usually find a society th.at has become all kinds of wrong (in direct contrast to a utopia, or a perfect society)
  2. Like many totalitarian states, the Republic of Gilead starts out as an envisioned utopia by a select few: a remade world where lower-class women will provide upper-class couples with children, so the human race can feel confident about producing future generations. Yet the vast majority of the characters we meet are oppressed by this world; its strict attention to violence, death, and conformity highlight the ways in which it is a totally miserable place.
2. context
  1. The story is about Handmaid Offred in the Republic of Gilead, theocratic state ruled by conservative Christians through Biblical fundamentalism based on harsh interpretation of the Old Testament. Everyone who does not threaten the ideology of Gilead is executed by hanging. Gilead's women are stripped of their freedom, they have no rights and they are only possessive items who belong to the men. They are not allowed to read, write or educate or to own property, chose their clothes, control money. It is considered that sex is degrading to women, men have to abstain from all but marital sex for religio-social reasons.
1984
1. Dystopian Society
  1. In 1984, Orwell creates a technologically advanced world in which fear is used as a tool for manipulating and controlling individuals who do not conform to the prevailing political orthodoxy. ... These novels are often political statements,
  2. Among the literary traditions that Orwell uses is the concept of utopia, which he distorts effectively for his own purposes. Utopia, or Nowhere Land, is an ideal place or society in which human beings realize a perfect existence, a place without suffering or human malady. Orwell did not originate this genre. In fact, the word utopia is taken from Sir Thomas More's Utopia, written in 1516. The word is now used to describe any place considered to be perfect.
  3. The dystopian tradition in literature is a relatively modern one and is usually a criticism of the time in which the author lives.
2. Language/Style
  1. The language in the novel is simple. There are no metaphors and limited figurative speech to permit no freedom for the reader to imagine the society in a less oppressive way.
  2. The plain vocabulary seems unimaginative and seems as if Orwell is writing purely to reach the end because he has to – the way that life is lived in 1984.
  3. Winston has a flat in Victory mansions, which sounds grand and expensive though because of the government it is constantly cold, broken, dark and depressive as is life outside in the community
  4. The adjectives are suppressive and miserable throughout the book – for example, “vile” and “gritty” are mentioned in paragraph one.The verbs are often violent – e.g. hate, want and fight.

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Discuss the portrayal of dystopian societies within Orwell’s ‘1984’ and Atwood’s ‘Handmaids Tale’.

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