The "Handmaid's Tale" in comparison to totalitarian regimes of the past and today (eBook)

Seminar paper from the year 2019 in the subject Didactics - English - Literature, Works, grade: 1,67, , language: English, abstract: The aim of this document is to give an overview of "The Handmaids Tale" by Margaret Atwood and to compare Gilead with historic and present totalitarian regimes. The first section is to provide information about the author and her inspiration for the book. Then a plot summary and a characterization of two of the main characters will be made. Subsequent to that, the narrative perspective and the setting will shortly be examined next to the significance of clothing and nomenclature. Finally, comparisons to history and present totalitarian regimes will be made.

"You just raped every woman who’s been raped by a man. You just raped her all over again. This is just a shame, this is a disgrace, this is a travesty" (Filipovic, 2019). This statement was made by Alabama Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton during a fierce debate on America’s most stringent anti-abortion law.

In May 2019 the Alabama Senate voted for a regulation that outlaws almost all kinds of abortion. It is in stark contrast to the ruling of the Supreme Court from 1973 which had recognized a woman’s constitutional right to end her pregnancy. The new Alabama law, however, bans and criminalizes abortion at every stage of pregnancy. It charges doctors with felonies and prison sentences of up to 99 years. Furthermore, there is no exclusion for cases of rape or incest - meaning that even if a woman gets abused and impregnated against her will, she is forced to give birth to that child. It is noteworthy that the Alabama Senate consists of 31 men and only four women.