The dystopian serves primarily as a warning to society by creating a vision of our future if present day practices, trends, etc. go unchecked. With this in mind, write 250 words focusing on items C and D under "The Social Criticism" section of "Elements of the Dystopian Mode."
Margaret Atwood creates a society that, although seems very distant from the reader, is actually very realistic. In this world, Atwood places a lot of emphasis on religious allusions, signaling how the church attaining control of the government would be a bad thing. The church and the government, together addressed the change in morals that society was facing. Individuals were becoming too gung-ho about sex and were embracing the sins of going to "Pornomats" and wearing provocative clothing. In this world, the government takes away their citizens rights in exchange for safety. It is because of these reasons that I think the society presented in The Handmaid's Tale is realistic. She writes this post-Cold War, showing how a nuclear exchange with Russia would have led to the radiation fallout that would have caused the population to plummet. The anti-feminist movement, in conjunction with the fallout from the war, would have led to the ends presented in the book. However, the idea of having a dominant male figure, a Wife, Marthas and Handmaids all living in a household and playing their roles seems unrealistic. Atwood presents alternatives for the reader through pockets of resistance from the Handmaids. She has Moira successfully run away (to an extent) and the Handmaid's secret society. She shows that individuals must fight against the oppressive society in order to regain their power.
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