The Role Of Commanders In Margaret Atwood’s Novel, The Handmaid’s Tale

1 Pages 250 Words

In Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, it is interesting to observe the role in society that the commander’s are given which is to work and impregnate handmaids. Although handmaids are very bluntly “used” for one purpose (having children), commanders have the “duty” to make them pregnant, which is possibly an equally disrespectable purpose.
Since many of the commanders are older men, it’s probably harder for them to impregnate the handmaids. There is also proof they have long, hard work days, as Atwood puts it, “He works long hours. He has a lot of responsibilities.” (Atwood, 90). Atwood goes as far as showing sympathy to the commander and his role in society, and how in a sense he is mocked by handmaids. “To be a man, watched by women. It must be entirely strange---To have them sizing him up.” (Atwood, 87). Atwood makes us sympathize with the elderly man and his possible embarrassment of not being able to impregnate a handmaid and be the forbidden word-sterile. Although the commander has much power, he leads a life less desirable as Atwood says, “Still, it must be hell to be a man like that.” (Atwood, 88).
This novel is interesting altogether, but the role Atwood gave to the commanders is that of sweet and sour, which may possibly even out the treatment of women in the novel (they are used, and thought of as the less intelligible sex), and I found it very interesting....