To start us off, here are brief synopses of The Handmaid's Tale and Brave New World, courtesy of Goodreads:
The Handmaid's Tale
"Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now... "Brave New World
"Far in the future, the World Controllers have created the ideal society. Through clever use of genetic engineering, brainwashing and recreational sex and drugs, all its members are happy consumers. Bernard Marx seems alone harbouring an ill-defined longing to break free. A visit to one of the few remaining Savage Reservations, where the old, imperfect life still continues, may be the cure for his distress..."
Connections to...
The Handmaid's Tale
1) The protagonists in both novels use writing and language as a means to gain a sense of control. Offred, a handmaid used solely for reproduction in Gilead, lives under the control of her master. Most of her freedom has been taken away, but what Gilead can't take away from her is her love for language and words' meanings that give her a sense of empowerment. Being able to think what she wants and use words to convey what she wants to, Offred maintains a sense of sanity. Similarly, Winston uses writing in his diary as a way to have a sense of control in a world where most of his freedom is gone. By expressing his skepticism of the society and questioning their use of language, he ultimately is able to rebel against the Party.
2) Both the societies of Gilead and Airstrip One discourage personal connections, especially during sexual interactions. In Gilead, sex is to be a detached ritual solely to produce children. To make it all the more awkward, it occurs between husband and wife and handmaid. Needless to say, the emotional attachment and pleasure is nonexistent and that is exactly how the rulers want it. The ruling Party of Airstrip One similarly tries to keep its people from forming personal connections. Sex is to be limited significantly, if occur at all. The Junior Anti-Sex League is a prominent group that advocates for celibacy, though Winston does describe a sexual encounter at one point. He recalls how "she would lie there with shut eyes, neither resisting nor co-operating, but submitting" and call it "[their] duty to the party" (70). This shows the desensitization both he and the woman feel as opposed to acknowledging their emotions during the experience which is the natural human reaction. The goal in wanting people to suppress their emotions and feelings is to discourage unity which could lead to rebellion.
Another way both novels use sex is to convey male dominance. The Masters, as Gilead refers to them, usually have sex with multiple handmaid's throughout their lives (not to mention the women at Jezebel's) and they take control the whole time. In 1984, the men known as Capitalists are positioned on a similar hierarchy level. They "[have] the right to sleep with any woman working in one of [their] factories" (76).
3) In both novels, rituals take place that involve execution. There is a wall of people in Gilead who have been hanged. It is a public display that serves as a daily reminder to obey the society. In Airstrip One there are hangings that take place frequently. People of all ages, even small children, get excited to go and see the supposed "rule breakers" get killed. Beneath the excitement, however, lies sheer fear, fear of breaking the rules and becoming one of those to get hanged themselves. This fear tactic is a method that both ruling classes use to keep their people in line.
Brave New World
1) Conditioning is an integral part to both societies. It is an effective way to be sure that all people think, act, and respond in a manner that has been "approved" by the rulers. Conditioning practices in the World State include hypnopaedia, messages induced during sleep, and repetitive exposure and punishment. The Party uses similar methods of "early conditioning, by games and cold water, by the rubbish that was dinned into them at school and in the Spies and the Youth League, by lectures, parades, songs, slogans and martial music" (71) to instill their ideals.
The problem that the main characters of both novels, John and Winston, face is dual-conditioning. John's dual-conditioning comes from living his life on the conservative Reservation and then going to the World State where recreational sex is encouraged. Winston does not experience dual-conditioning directly, however, he recognizes the game the Party is trying to play. In a way, by seeing through the subconscious conditioning, he experiences dual-conditioning. He knows how he should behave and think, yet he is conflicted with how he wants to behave and think. Going back to John, in the end, the dual-conditioning tears him apart and he commits suicide. I'm not predicting Winston will go this far, however, it gives me perspective that having his eyes wide-open may not be the best thing.
2) Propaganda in the form of catchy slogans are also popular in both societies. In the World State, people often go around repeating "community, identity, and stability," which we know to be rather ironic. In Airstrip One, the people say "war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength" (107). Again, we recognize this slogan to be paradoxical, yet the citizens are too brainwashed to notice. These are the two main sayings, however, there are also many more. Unfortunately, these catchy phrases become so routine and automatic that they eventually lose their meaning.
3) Advanced technology for sexual reproduction is another similarity between the two. In Brave New World it is referred to as the Bokanovsky process, which is essentially mass-producing test tube babies. Babies are decanted in a hatchery and are pre-assigned to a social class characterized by a specific uniform. In 1984, the Junior Anti-Sex League advocates for the process of creating laboratory babies, called artificial insemination (artsem in Newspeak). Children, once "begotten", are brought up in "public institutions". While this is not as strict as Brave New World, in that they are not immediately assigned to a class, they will eventually be locked into one and forced to wear a corresponding uniform as well. Once again, this control over sexual reproduction is solely for the purpose of the ruling class obtaining as much control as possible.
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