Thursday, November 3, 2011

HMT 3

 The structure of society.

The structure of the Republic of Gilead is extremely oppressive. Mirroring that of numerous theistic governments where oppression is widely seen, Gilead is no different. Women's rights are extremely different to those of men in almost every regard; they essentially have none. Alcohol, tobacco and coffee are outlawed. However, the passage in which Serena Joy, a Commanders wife and champion of this society, is seen smoking and reveals a black market skews our perception of true believes in society. Furthermore, girls are made to follow strict social guidelines in almost every regard. They are meant to keep their heads down, keep silent, cannot read or write, cannot have an abortion and must wear confining head coverings to name a few. This theocratic government however, seems to be more of a tool of oppression as opposed to a genuine belief in the religion they purportedly believe in.

However, the basic goal of all these combined laws and restrictions seems to be purely the creation of babies. This is displayed through many beliefs. Among them include the already stated outlawing of tobacco, alcohol and coffee along with such examples of "gender treachery". This is essentially the murder of homosexuals as they likely find homosexuality itself an "abomination". On top of that, their belief that homosexuality is treasonous or a violation of faith by not fathering children. However, this combined with the fact that its stated that not all of Guardians even get wives seems to contradict the point of this practice.

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