Proceedings of the 2023 5th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2023)

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Gender Role Subversion and Self-Liberation in “The Handmaid’s Tale”

Authors
Rui Yang1, *
1College of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
*Corresponding author. Email: 15158037264@163.com
Corresponding Author
Rui Yang
Available Online 31 December 2023.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-170-8_44How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Gender roles; self-liberation; subversion; feminist theory; societal impact
Abstract

This study offers a critical examination of Margaret Atwood’s seminal work “The Handmaid’s Tale,” set against the dystopian backdrop of Gilead, a society where gender roles are stringently enforced under a theocratic regime. The crux of this research is an exploration of the transformative power of gender role subversion in facilitating self-liberation, as exemplified by characters such as Offred. The research posits that the deliberate challenge to traditional gender norms serves as a catalyst for individual self-liberation and empowerment. Leveraging feminist theory as the methodological underpinning, the study unveils how acts of defiance, preservation of personal memories, and seizing moments of agency subvert societal norms, culminating in self-liberation. The findings underscore the pivotal role of gender equality and resistance against oppressive systems, emphasizing the profound resonance of the novel’s themes with contemporary gender dynamics. Moreover, this research underscores the novel’s potential to stimulate social change through its in-depth exploration of gender norms and their subversion.

Copyright
© 2023 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 2023 5th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2023)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
31 December 2023
ISBN
978-2-38476-170-8
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-170-8_44How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2023 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Rui Yang
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/12/31
TI  - Gender Role Subversion and Self-Liberation in “The Handmaid’s Tale”
BT  - Proceedings of the  2023 5th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2023)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 388
EP  - 401
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-170-8_44
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-170-8_44
ID  - Yang2023
ER  -