the feminist analysis of the handmaid's tale's dark world

THE FEMINIST ANALYSIS OF THE HANDMAID’S TALE’S DARK WORLD INTRODUCTION Literary works are very striking instruments that are able to illustrate societies’ weaknesses and damaging sides. Hence, authors have a power to confront people with their toxic behavior patterns. If an author chooses to point to those behavior patterns in their work; thus, people who read that work might cope with those problems which situated in society. As for dystopian literature, it is one of the best ways to accomplish making people face their problems by means of literature. Because, a dystopia is an unpleasant (typically repressive) society, often propagandized as being utopian. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction states that dystopian works depict a negative view of  the way the world is supposedly going in order to provide urgent propaganda for a change in direction. 1 There are dystopian movies, tv series, games, songs etc. just as there are dystopian novels. People who will come across a dystopian work for the first time, would most likely find this concept disturbing and dark. But it can be easily said that this is the point where artists want to get already. Because dystopian works get their penetrativeness from their gloomy atmosphere. So, in connection with these explanations, the main purpose of this paper is to examine The Handmaids Tale as a dystopian tv series which includes feminist points of view. But it is crucial to state that, although this paper focuses the dystopian TV series called “The Handmaid’s Tale” which is based on the novel of same name,   there are lots of other dystopian works that have achieved a great success. 1984(George Orwell), Fahrenheit 451(Ray Bradbury), Brave New World(Aldous Huxley) and A Clockwork Orange(Anthony Burgess) can be counted as examples of blockbuster dystopian novels. They all are novels deserve to be examined in other studies and some of them was adapted to cinema and television just as “The Handmaid’s Tale”. As stated previously, The Handmaid’s Tale is an American dystopian tragedy television series based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. 2 At this point, it can be pertinent to mention that most people arrive at a consensus on that if a movie or TVseries were adapted from a book, it will be the right choice to tend to book instead of that film or TV series. Because it is very likely to come across a quite unsuccessful example of an adapted work. However, when given a chance to the television work version without prejudice, it is possible to face a fascinating work like The Handmaid’s Tale. The Handmaid’s Tale was created by Bruce Miller and first episode was released in 2017;  since that time, it keeps releasing with new episodes. Most episodes were directed by different directors. For example, eleventh episode of season three was directed by the Turkish originated director named Deniz Gamze Ergüven and that episode has become one of the highest rated episodes on IMDb with 9, 3.  The main cast includes Elizabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd. The episodes are mostly produced in Canada and the budget of this TV series is very high. After all this information, it can be wondered that what the meaning of “handmaid” is, in the name of the novel and TV series as well. In Longman Dictionary, the word handmaid is defined as a female servant. Being a servant can mean different things in our world, but in this TV series, it means to be forced to obey the Gilead rules and to get pregnant for Gilead. At the beginning of the show, audiences come across a government called Gilead which is a horrendous, totalitarian government formed after a civil war in United States. Afterwards; a new regime and new rules take the place of the old ones. The main purpose to make those changes is to increase the fertility rates which have collapsed at that time. It is understood from the plot that the reasons of those low birth rates are the environmental pollution and sexually transmitted diseases. So, within a new reorganised society, women get banned from everything they used to take part in. They are categorized as “fallen women”, “econowives”, “marthas”, “wives of commanders” etc. Gilead determines “fallen women” according to an extremist interpretation of the Bible. On this basis, they choose non-Christians, single mothers, lesbians, academics etc. and the ones who have potential fertility become handmaids. Handmaids are exposed to systematic rape by commanders. Commanders are the male government officials who basically built this system. After a woman gets pregnant and gives birth, the newborn babies are separated from their mother as soon as possible.  Even women’s names are taken and a new one given to them in this system. Women have to wear depend on their classification. For instance, handmaids wear long red dresses and wives of commanders wear elegant,  blue dresses. In comparision with handmaids, commanders wifes are in a better position. They are not entitled to work or even read either but they have authority over handmaids and marthas. Marthas are housekeepers and cooks. When someone protest against this cruel system, Gilead punishes that rebel by death. During the seasons, audiences watch an unbearable world system and wish to see women get free from there. In addition to choosing a very startling plot, The Handmaids Tales has a strong cinematography and impressive music too.  Adam Taylor is the composer of the soundtracks. When all these components come together, it is unavoidable to watch an excellent TV series such as The Handmaid’s Tale. People who have watched The Handmaid’s Tale, probably would agree with the argument that even though The Handmaid’s Tale is a fictional,  exaggerated, dystopian work; there are critical similarities with today’s world in which designed for women. Therefore this TV series can play an important role in addressing the issue of gender related negative behaviour patterns and policies in societies and governments. By looking at Gilead’s efforts to exlude women from work life or efforts to has a control over the bodies of women it can be asked some questions concerning our modern life conditions for women. How many women were assigned to The Constitutional Court of the Rebuplic of Turkey during its long history? What is the percentage of women in management positions in well known companies? Is it fair or legal to pay lower salary to women workers while they do the literally same job with their male coworkers? Under the name of population planning, is it ethical to make decisions on behalf of women? Do people have the right to assume that every women want to be a mother or be a part  of a family? And so on. In this paper, in the light of The Handmaids Tale, those and some other related questions will be examined.