The Handmaid's Tale and 1984

Margaret Atwood’s, The Handmaid’s Tale, and George Orwell’s, 1984, are two novels that are closely related and based around a totalitarian government. The lives of the people who live in the societies are completely controlled in every way possible by a theocratic group, and they encounter many struggles due to having limited privacy, individuality, and freedom. There are many themes that emerge in these two novels such as sexuality and power that help explain the actions of the characters in these pieces of literature.

Sexuality plays a huge role in both The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984. In Atwood’s novel, the Republic of Gilead controls all things dealing with sex and sexuality. The regime performed awful punishments if it found out the women were not following their set routine, homosexuals were executed, abortion doctors were killed, and pornographies were taken and destroyed because the women were not supposed to be pleasured in any way. The handmaids could only copulate with certain men, and that was only for the sole purpose of bearing children. The government attempted to take every bit of sexual freedom from the women in the society and in many ways it worked but the women still found ways around it. For example, Offred took numerous risks in order to have an affair with Nick. She also had the opportunity to have intercourse with her doctor in order to get pregnant but she wisely chose not to. These examples prove that even though rules are in place, women will find ways around them because sexuality has a potential for love. Rules will be broken; that is simply a way of life, and people will take risks for happiness and pleasure.

In Orwell’s novel, sexuality is also a big theme, but not for the degradation of women like in Atwood’s work. Orwell mainly discusses the role that sex plays in Winston’s life and his emotional distress. In 1984, the Party restricts free expression of sexuality, but Winston breaks the rules by sleeping with Julia,...