Womens Literature

Lauren Miller

English 318

Midterm Essay 2

The idea of social change is somewhat ambiguous when stated plainly the phrase itself lends to different ideas even when polling a small group of people but when placing the word significant ' in front of such a phrase , the concept takes on an even greater meaning . It implies that not only is there a change in the HYPERLINK "http /en .wikipedia .org /wiki /Nature_ 28society 29 " \o "Nature (society " nature , the social institutions , the social behavior or the HYPERLINK "http /en .wikipedia .org /wiki /Social_relations

" \o "Social relations " social relations of a HYPERLINK "http /en .wikipedia .org /wiki /Society " \o "Society " society , but also that its effect lends to an extreme change in mentality for all involved within society . It is the nature of this change that much of the literature touches on and , more importantly , how individualized emotion translates into this grand idea of social change . Within the novels The Awakening and The Handmaids Tale , the circumstances of love and the human conditions play a major role in bringing about social change in their own way , catalyzing forward action for each character individually as well as in the society around them

When first looking at the novel The Handmaid 's Tale by Margaret Atwood , it is immediately noted that an overt lack of love is what has been translated into every facet of the dystopian society that exists for our main character , Offred . She has become someone 's possession with the singular purpose of procreation , given the label handmaid to signify a hierarchy of status throughout the novel . She remembers the love she experienced with her best friend Moira , the love she felt for her child and even the love her mother displayed for her but has been stripped of all of this . Each of these memories serves as a motivation in some way for her to stay strong mentally even though she continues to perform her duties ' as a member of the Gilead society Her memories of Moira reflect a person not tethered to societies ' rules even pre Gilead as well as the experiences they share during training to become a handmaid . Her love for her child motivates Offred to persevere and offer a tiny hope that she might one day be reunited with her . Even the love she experienced with her mother reminds her that women have suffered persecution for many years and helps to keep her strong when being confronted with the realities of the society she now exists in It is these memories that have shaped her character and effect the changes in mentality she undergoes throughout the novel

In addition to this , Offred also experiences the emotions to love during the Gilead society 's reign with a man named Nick . Though we also see Offred begins to detach herself from ideas of joining the resistance for fear of losing her chance to continue to see Nick , what ultimately results from their union trumps this fact and...