The Handmaids Tale Biblical Allusions Essay

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Leizelle Santos Friday January 20th 2012 Literary Essay English 12 Comp Ms. McMahon Grant Park High school The novel by (Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaids Tale, New York: Anchor Books, 1998) used many biblical allusions as a way of describing the society of Gilead. Some allusions were used to explain how the Handmaids’ get treated and why they even exist. The use of the Bible and frequent references to religious images, as well as the name of the society’s institutions reflect religious images and symbols too. Atwood’s constant attention to the power of religious imagery and symbolism is used not only to provide a familiar reference point for the reader, but to critique the society as to how religion can be misused to control a population and there is little or no separation between Church and State. On the most obvious and superficial level, the Bible plays an important role in the naming of objects and people in the Republic of Gilead. The men, according to their role in the society are called “Commanders of the Faithful” who are officially the commanders, “Guardians of Faith” are members of the members of the police force, “Eyes of the Lord” are the secret police who are supposed to spy on the people of Gilead, which is also taken from the Bible and the “Angels” are the soldiers of the army and they have names

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