HIERARCHY OF PAIN IN GILEAD: EXPLORING MARXISM AND PANOPTICISM IN MARGARET ATWOOD’S THE HANDMAID’S TALE

Abstract

Abstract

The universality of surveillance has introduced new realms of observation and control over our us. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is set in a dystopian society where constant observation pervades even to women’s bodies and their reproductive functions, depriving them of identity, agency, and autonomy. This commodification of women results in the deprival of their identity and agency, particularly the aspect of motherhood. Through the narrative, Atwood explores how commodification and the resultant continuous surveillance challenge the personal freedom of the handmaids who are hired to bear the babies of elite-class people. The themes of Panopticism and Marxism in The Handmaid’s Tale question the agency of women in the narrative, which is caused by class distinction and pervasive surveillance. The panoptic control structure ingrained in the Republic of Gilead continuously monitors the handmaids’ daily activities. The paper analyzes the effect of such surveillance and control on their identity, agency, and psyches. It explores the control imposed on the handmaids, who belong predominantly to financially challenged backgrounds, by drawing parallels to the Marxist aspects of class distinctions and commodification of individuals.