The handmaids tale Essay Example for Free

The handmaids tale Essay Moira is a strong and independent woman who is not like other handmaids and therefore has a vast array of roles through out the play. Moira is an autonomous woman who rejects the responsibility and job of the handmaid and as a result of this the narrator uses her proper name. Moira allows the narrator to express her feelings so the reader can see her from different angles and see her different characteristics. One of Moiras main features is her rebelliousness, which the reader sees through the past, present and the future. For example when Moira and Offred where both in college, Moira was the one who wanted to go out, have a good time. She wanted Offred to come with her even though she knew that she was expected to hand in an assignment the next day I had a paper due the next day. She rebelled against the system in college she did the opposite of what was expected from her. Even when she was brought into the centre where they train all the handmaids she was wearing jeans, she stood out from the rest and was clearly rebellious. She is a Feminist heroine who all the other handmaids look up to. She is an individual, a leader and a figurehead. She has a dramatic impact on the rest of the handmaids, she influences them giving them hope and inspiration. Due to Moiras presence the aunts seem less fearsome and frightening, she exposes them for what they real are. She does by the way she escapes; she doesnt just run she actually ties one of them up and shows that they can be physically hurt. This reminds the handmaids that the aunts are only human and in a way it reassures them. To all the other handmaids she is a heroine but from Gileads perspective she is a loose women. Moira defies the Gilead regime so much that she tries to escape and on her second attempt she succeeds and as a result of this Moira never actually becomes a proper handmaid. This is just another example of Moira being a heroine and showing the reader her revolutionary nature. Even when Moira has disappeared from the scene she is still making a dramatic impact on both the handmaids and the reader. She is even more of a role model Moira was our fantasy. She inspires the other handmaids and gives them hope for the future. However, her escape also has a reverse affect it causes Offred to feel lonely and abandoned so much that she begins to reminisce about her time she spent with Moira in college. Even past memories inspire and motivate Offred that she comes to realise that they can control her body but not her mind. Moira also portrays the motherly figure within the novel an example of this is when Janine starts to cry and wants to go home. If the aunts where to find out she would be punished severely. Moira steps in and takes charge she is the dominant one and is like a mother. However, she is not sensitive or caring instead she slaps Janine. This shows the reader that although she is very rebellious she is aware of the rules and she knows how far she can go. She is also caring but in a violent way, although she slaps Janine she saved her life. Although the other Handmaids are probably jealous they do look up to her. When she was tortured everyone stole and took a big risk to bring Moira packets of sugar. Moira cant really do much with packets of sugar but it shows that they care and is also a sign of respect. When Moira and Offred where in college together Moira was a lesbian, which again is rebelling against human nature, she was an obvious lesbian she wore long dangly earrings. When Moira escaped she manages to get a job at a place called jezebels working as a prostitute. This is everything that Gilead stood against and is now what she has become. This again shows the reader and Offred Moiras radical nature. Even when Moira stayed at Jezebels she remained a lesbian. In conclusion Moira is a significant character that plays a major part in the past, present and the future of the novel. She is a clear revolutionary and finds new ways to break the rules. She is an individual, the uniforms that the handmaids had to wear were supposed to take away their individuality but Moira was too passionate and determined and she wouldnt let it. She was a leader who inspired others and gave them hope for the future. Moira always wanted to be the centre of attention, which may be while she was so rebellious. She lived the dream of all the other handmaids by physically getting to the aunts and then escaping. However, towards the end of the book she was a bit disappointment. She was working in jezebels wearing a bunny costume, which is very demeaning and in a way shows sign of defeat. She is more or less everything that the aunts said that they were trying to protect the other handmaids from. She is almost at the lowest of the low. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Margaret Atwood section.