An Alysis Of Power Mechanism And Resistance Strategies In Margaret Atwood’s Novel, The Handmaid’s Tale

Margaret Atwood is one of the influential women writers in Canada. Atwoodbegan her writing and published her first novel in1969. Since then, she has publishedmore than thirties works, including novels, poetry and literary criticism. Atwood hasbeen shortlisted for the Booker Prize five times, winning once, and has been a finalistfor the Governor General’s Award seven times, winning twice. The Handmaid’s Tale isone of Atwood’s best-sellers. This novel won the1985Governor General’s Award andthe first Arthur C. Clarke Award in1987.This paper attempts to discuss the power mechanism and resistance strategies inGilead written in The Handmaid’s Tale by means of Foucault’s power theories. It triesto analyze how the power disciplines people into docile individuals under poweroperation. Atwood thinks that power relations include not only the relations betweenthe people and the country but also the one between men and women. This paperanalyzes the power mechanism, operation mode and the resistance strategy of thecommon people especially that of women’s in such a totalitarian state of Gilead.This paper consists of five parts in totals. It firstly makes a brief introduction ofAtwood and her novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, and gives an outline of the mainresearches about it at home and abroad in recent ten years. This paper also discussesthe social background of The Handmaid’s Tale and analyzes Atwood’s concerns aboutpolitics, power and the power disposition between men and women. Then this paperpoints out the realistic significance of studying this novel.Chapter One gives an overview of the social background in the Republic ofGilead, including its politics, economics and education. It also discusses the definitionand characteristics of Foucault’s power theory.Chapter Two focuses on the power mechanism in the Republic of Gilead. Itspecializes in the power disposition and operation strategies with Foucault’s powertheory, including the strategies of discipline, hierarchy, punishment system andpanopticon, clarifying how the Gilead makes the people into the disciplined individuals. Furthermore, this paper also discusses the operation strategies of thedisciplinary power over women in such a patriarchal society through Foucault’sdiscourse power theory.Chapter Three analyzes the resistance strategies of the common people in Gilead.It describes the awakening of the people at first, and then explains the possiblereasons for people’s fighting when they are controlled by disciplinary power withFoucault’s power theories. After that, this paper also studies the resistance strategiesof common people, focusing on the women’s rebellious strategies against paternalpower.The last part makes a conclusion to this article. It summarizes main viewpointsand gives the value of this paper.