Surrogacy in The Handmaid’s Tale – Free Essay Example

In The Handmaid’s Tale, Moira, the Commander, and Serena Joy’s resistance aligns with individual liberty, malevolence, and surrogacy of women in present-day society. In today’s world, we’ve feminist groups who advocate for women’s rights and gender equality, which demonstrates Moira’s rebellion within the novel. The Commander is a person who is in on the new arrangement of Gilead which should be his ideal society, especially since he added to the dispatch of Gilead. He has a craving sexual desire, and he damaged Gilead’s laws to share his lust toward Offred. Additionally, the Commander’s wife tries better half to inquire into Gilead’s protocols by arranging Offred and Nick up through an attempt to create a family. These disobedient demonstrations add a glimpse of weakness to their characters and to the oppressed world. Although The Republic of Gilead extremely restricts women from doing rebellious acts that may retrieve their freedom, Moira, The Commander, and Serena Joy show rebellion against The Republic of Gilead by fighting against oppressive conditions, sexual coercion, and arranging Nick to impregnate Offred.

First, Moira shows rebellion against Gilead as she attempts to escape, and attacks Aunt Lydia in her temporary successful escape attempt, she was brought onto Gilead thanks to gender treachery, since she was a lesbian. She resigned her role of a handmaid after two escape attempts to work at Jezebel’s, where the commanders move to mingle with prostitutes. Moira is the voice of reason, sense, and practice for the other handmaids in the center. Offred recognized that Moira was still more logical than her. “She said I was rationalizing, I said I was in love, she said that was no excuse; Moira was always more logical than I was (Atwood, 1985).” Moira slaps Janine into existence as brainwashing actually takes place, Offered thanks to confirming of others within the middle, and attempts to escape. In fact, she is the main individual that makes it out of the red community temporarily. In spite of the fact that she’s ruthlessly beaten after the primary getaway endeavor, this solitary energizes her longing to incite retreat. She destroys the bathroom and uses it as an arsenal for a moment. At that point, she feigns her way along the avenues of Gilead dressed somewhat like the foe. Upon her getaway, Moira offers some strategies for vision and fear to elective ladies. While they’re beginning to respect the Center’s mental programming and feel great there, Moira never does; she isn’t eager to surrender her opportunity, “Moira was like an elevator with open sides; she made us dizzy (Atwood, 1985).” Moira’s rebellious actions within the novel relate back to the 1950s during the civil rights movement and feminism. What’s equally significant as to the 1960s revolutions, was the young women’s disapproval of the masculine-oriented family and male dominance. Ladies began to oppose the ordinary qualities as a homemaker and they also demanded the equal acquisition of men and women who worked a synonymous occupation. Additionally, the sexual upheaval relates back inside the 1960s as women feminist grasped their sexuality more transparently. The recovered advancement of women’s rights at that point changed the occupations of sexual orientation within the decades that followed. Stormé DeLarverie who was a black/biracial lesbian is credited with inspiring New York’s Stonewall rebellion in 1969. Stonewall was a great defining moment inside the desire for gay freedom and the development of LGBTQ rights. We’ve had over 680 marches in the US throughout the United States opposing oppressive and dehumanizing actions against the gender of an individual. Moira demonstrates resistance in the Handmaid’s Tale by fighting against oppressive conditions, self-defense and resilience.

Second, by using his power advantage to seem for that deeper emotional bond in Offred, the Commander displays resistance, showing his attempt of seduction as he breaks the law of Gilead to support and take care of Offred to establish a deeper connection to one another. He sneaks Offred to Jezebel’s, which was a former hotel that’s extremely against Gilead’s guidelines for Handmaids: “ We go along the corridor and through another flat gray door and along another corridor, softly lit and carpeted now in an exceedingly mushroom color, browny pink, the doors open off it with numbers on them: 100 and one, 100 and two, the way you count during a thunderstorm, to determine how close you’re to being stuck. It’s a hotel then, from behind one in each of the doors comes laughter, a man’s and also a woman’s; it has been an extended time since I’ve heard that (Atwood, 1985, Chapter 37).” He speaks playfully along with her and provides her a skimpy outfit decorated with feathers and sequins that belonged to Serena Joy. He wants to spend the night out with her, she eventually agrees to the offer against her will, “I know without being told that what he was proposing is risky for him but especially for me; but I would like to travel anyway; I want anything that breaks the monotony subverts the perceived respectable order of things (Atwood, 1985, Chapter 36).” Even though these activities were risky business for him, but strictly for Offred, she has no choice but to accept the commander’s request because she shall obey his order since he is the man in power. Any disobedience can lead her to get sent to the colonies. Jezebel’s could be a club where guys just like the Commander, attend mingle with prostitutes and possibly have a go at it with them. These actions are strictly against Gilead’s restrictions, but the Commander goes around Gilead’s system for his own pleasure and needs for a relevance to a younger woman like Offred. Within the planet, it’s no secret that sex trafficking exists, but there was just the once in an exceeding society where there really was a secret sex ring utilized by bureaucracy. During the Nazi era in Germany, soldiers were allowed to visit secret brothels filled with women from conquered territories who were being forced into prostitution. “In the 1930s, prostitutes were legally forced into medical examinations to test for STDs before having sexual encounters with men (Historycollection.co).” Although Gilead doesn’t allow emotional and sexual relations with the handmaids, the Commander disobeyed the guidelines of Gilead for his desire for Offred. The Commander demonstrates rebellion in The Handmaid’s Tale by attending a secret prostitution ring, developing a deeper emotional relevance Offred, and breaking Gilead’s law by risking the night out with Offred.

Third, Serena Joy’s rebels against Gilead as she helps Offred get pregnant by Nick rather than the Commander; the Commander is seemingly sterile and Offred wasn’t pregnant yet. Usually, handmaids who don’t conceive in time they’re given would get sent to The Colonies, where life expectancy is short. Serena Joy is too old to have children. Furthermore, rather than letting Offred’s time run out, Serena Joy helps save Offred, by trying to urge around the structures of Gilead. Although Serena Joy was unaware of the criminal acts along with Offred and her husband, she sets Offred and Nick up in an endeavor to form a family: “ I was thinking Nick, he’s been with us for a long time, he’s loyal, I could fix it with him. So that’s who does her little black-market errands for her. Is this what he gets, in return? What about the Commander? I say. We just won’t tell him, will we? (Atwood, 1985, Chapter 31).” These rebellious acts make you think differently about the characters and to the dystopian theme of the novel as well. Even though the characters of Serena Joy and the Commander are seen to be bad people, the rebellion they demonstrate in the novel makes you see a softer side of their characters and see a glimpse of Utopia in the novel. Furthermore, the rebellion of Serena Joy within The Handmaid’s Tale relates to today’s world with sperm donors/sperm banks, and surrogacy. Today, issues with barrenness and same-sex couples, which is non-traditional have made surrogacy a well-liked theme; one frequently loved as a positive alternative for people that can’t bear children naturally. The Handmaid’s Tale shows the side of surrogacy significantly less discussed – however, it’s not the smallest amount. In reality, surrogacy isn’t simply a way to an end. The difference between surrogacy in The Handmaid’s Tale and in today’s world is that there’s freedom. In the novel, the handmaids don’t have a choice, nor does the male using his sperm to conceive the child. No one receives profits for participating in these activities. However, in today’s world, surrogates are paid for their service (male or female), and they have a choice to do so. Serena Joy demonstrates rebellion within The Handmaid’s Tale by risking Offred a deal to conceive with Nick, saving Offred from getting sent to the Colonies, and providing a glimpse of sympathy for Offred.

Finally, the Republic of Gilead still provided opportunities for rebellion and resistance despite the extremely strict rules implemented by Gilead. Each significant character in the novel undertakes disobedience against Gilead’s laws. Moira rebels against Gilead through feminist acts and standing up for herself despite what the consequences were. The Commander rebels by using his power advantage to attempt seduction to Offred, he reveals his lust by breaking Gilead’s law to assist and take care of Offred. Serena Joy rebels against Gilead, as she helps Offred get pregnant by Nick rather than the Commander, without his knowledge. Margaret Atwood’s purpose is to point out that trying to attune to a brand new society, one must face the problem to take care of their identity and stop it from vanishing away. Although these actions may result in serious penalties if caught, Moria, The Commander, and Serena Joy shows defiance to The Republic of Gilead by violating the system and assaulting a bureaucracy official, violating the laws of Gilead by becoming sexually and emotionally involved with a handmaid and disregarding the structures of Gilead by setting up an illegal intimate relationship for Offred with Nick to start a family.