Women Beware Women: Feminism and Other Influences to Atwood’s The Hand Maid’s Tale

Abstract

Margaret Atwood needs no introduction. She is one of those writers who does not encourage the word, feminism but is someone who want to question subservience and patriarchy. The Hand Maid’s Tale is one of her novel attempts to write a dystopian science fiction novel.

The word hand maid, is a self coinage, it is a replacement or rather a synonyms for surrogacy. In the novel, Atwood tries to present the theme of surrogacy and infertility in a more religious vein. The paper attempts to explore the various influences and instigations which had triggered the writer to write a novel which defied the conventions and boundaries of women’s writing. She has attempted to question the second wave feminism on the one hand and the Islamic revolution on the other. All these incidents and instances have shaped the very kernel of her novel. The novel is a speculation and a warning to the ways of the world in case the current scenario of women revolution takes an ugly turn in the name of seeking sexual and societal rights for women.