Controlling Reader Response in the Handmaids Tale

LONG ESSAY Conventions of a prose text may, to some extent, control reader response to themes within the text but the reader’s context may also influence the way the text is read. It is particularly evident in Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale that by examining the experience of women within the world it is evident that women are more repressed. The characterisation of Offred may control reader response to theme because her own personal experiences are projected onto the reader. In Gilead, women are repressed by male power and dominance, shown when Offred goes to the doctor for her monthly â€Å"obligatory† tests. She says, â€Å"The knowledge of his power hangs in the air†. Offred’s experiences, and the experiences of the women around†¦show more content†¦This is predominantly shown in the form of the â€Å"Keynote speaker† Professor James Darcy Pieixoto. He declares that they â€Å"held out no hope of tracing the narrator herself directly†. This symbolises the lack of interest in searching for the creator of the text. He comments that she â€Å"does not see fit to supply us with her original name† which is a similar attitude the males in the Gileadean society had for women. Pieixoto then comments that â€Å"if we could identify the elusive ‘Commander’†¦ at least some progress would have been made†. This suggests that he sees the Commander as a more important and more reliable source because he is male. His preference for the â€Å"Commander’s† information is shown again when he says â€Å"what we wouldn’t give, now, for even twenty pages or so of printout from Waterford’s private computer!† His sarcasm is shown in the comment â€Å"however, we must be grateful for any crumbs the Goddess of History has designed to vouchsafe us.† His concern for only the male’s information is a reflection of the text, suggesting that even in 2195, women are still repressed, and people haven’t learnt form the past. 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