Alienated Body Images In Margaret Atwood's Selected Novels

Abstract

I chose The Edible Woman, The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments as these novels represent how different power structures like capitalism and extreme fundamentalist, religious society both assert the inferiority of women and entitles themselves to exploit the female body. Although these power structures are based on different ideologies, the outcome is the same: alienation and objectification of the female body. In case of capitalism the female body becomes a purchasable commodity while in an extremely religious, authoritarian society a means of delivering babies, a reproductive organ. The novels clearly show that the main gender related issues root in the deep patriarchal stance of the humankind and political affiliation.