How is language seen as a tool of power in The Handmaid's Tale?

How is language seen as a tool of power in The Handmaid's Tale?

How is language seen as a tool of power in The Handmaid’s Tale?


Language is such an integral part of who were are as humans that, if altered, can have a huge psychological impact on us. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Gilead has complete control over every aspect of the lives of its citizens from their beliefs to the language they use. By creating an official vocabulary which describes the new reality that Gilead is creating, the state is able to very strongly influence the way people think about morality, how to think of others and what to think of themselves – in short, how to think. Gilead makes clear distinctions between men and women and even divides these into subcategories. Women are either ‘Wives’, ‘Handmaids’ or ‘Marthas’ which makes their function and identity synonymous. This dehumanises and depersonalises them, causing them to feel like another insignificant being whose sole purpose is to contribute to wider society. The main character is known as Offred and not by the name given to her at birth. Her original name is never mentioned and so throughout the book she is referred to as someone else’s property; she is ‘of Fred’. This is an attempt to rob them of their individuality, and seems to be the same for all Handmaids in the book with other women being called Ofglen, Ofwayne and Ofwarren.
The calling of ‘feminists’ and ‘deformed’ babies, names like “Unwomen” and “Unbabies” reduces their status as human beings. Using the prefix ‘un’ states that because of a belief or physical appearance, Gilead doesn’t just value you as less of a woman or baby, rather the complete opposite of one – an ‘Unwoman’ or an ‘Unbaby’. This is similar to what historical tyrants such called their enemies; Hitler referred to the Jewish people as ‘the sub-humans’, ‘filth’ and ‘contaminants’. Gilead calls them the “Son’s of Jacob” which, while it isn’t nearly as dehumanising as ‘sub-humans’, it does separate them from the rest of society making persecution easier. Knowing this...

Similar Essays