Hegemony practices and an Identity Crisis in Atwood 's novel "The Handmaid's Tale" Critical Studying

<p>Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" is one of the best novels that highlights<br>patriarchal culture and its effects on women and society. The novel is dystopian<br>fiction that can serve as a warning about the destructive effects of hegemony<br>practices. Despite being a feminist book, as many critics and readers believe,<br>Margaret Atwood's 1985 book "The Handmaid's Tale" is one of the greatest at<br>depicting hegemonic power in a vivid way. Men's control and dominance over<br>women are depicted in the book in great detail and accuracy. My research paper<br>explores the theme of the practice of hegemony as well as the theme of individual<br>identity since they are contradicting and none of them can be achieved with the<br>existence of the other. My study investigates the connectedness between the practice<br>of hegemony and an identity crisis. My study focuses on the strategies and procedures<br>that are used by the totalitarian, theocratic, and patriarchal state named Gilead Regime<br>in practicing hegemony. These strategies and procedures can be classified into two<br>categories: consent and coercion. One of these strategies is the stripping of the<br>individual identity (female self-identity) and imposing a restricted group identity. My<br>research paper studies and discusses the followings: the Regime of Gilead’s using of<br>religion, ideology, language, and manipulation in the practice of hegemony on<br>women. Offred’s suffering from an identity crisis because of forcing and persuading<br>her to adopt a new identity while clinging to her previous identity.</p>