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Oppression is the prolonged cruel and unjust treatment or exercise of authority. It refers to an overt or secret malicious and harmful pattern of subjugation and exploitation of a community or individual practices by a regime, which is thus authoritarian or totalitarian.
The oppression of women in the 21st century is perhaps more multi-faceted and developed than it has been historically. Gains in womens rights have been products of the protracted struggle of women and anti-sexist allies over the centuries, but these gains have not ended the oppression of women. Theocracies are known for intentionally establishing barriers to prevent women from accessing power as a result they are forced to use manipulation, seduction, and lies. There is a lack of women in positions of power and regardless of a womans experience, education, or abilities, the patriarchal nature of society fosters the perception that women are less qualified and less competent than men.
The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller during the Red Scare in the 1950s, tells the story of the Salem witch trials in 1692 as a metaphor for the witch hunts of communalists in America. The Handmaids Tale, directed by Reed Morano, tells the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate
Both The Crucible and The Handmaids Tale show how religion can be twisted into a form of control in society. The theme of oppression towards women is constant throughout these novels. Both The Crucible and The Handmaids Tale share the theme of oppression and power. The religion in both these novels keeps the women powerless, thus the only way for women to have power is to manipulate, seduce, and lie.
Oppression of Women Through Language and Violence
The regime in Gilead uses two main devices to control women. Firstly, they use a certain type of language to maintain the oppression of women. Secondly, they use actions or violence, which represent a more direct and harsh type of oppression. By combining these two the regime maintains its control of women in Gilead. Without either power or language, women become objects. In The Handmaids Tale reading and writing are entirely forbidden for women as a means of tightening control over their lives, particularly their ability to communicate with others. They say knowledge is power and giving the women the power of knowledge was a threat to the totalitarian government of Gilead, particularly the men.
The totalitarian government of Gilead uses violence and terror as their most effective weapon. They use the fear of being put on the wall and the punishments deemed necessary to stop people from rebelling. If a woman is caught reading a hand is cut off, the punishment for talking back is an eye taken out and the punishment for endangering a child is death by stoning.
In The Crucible women were obligated to the status of a housewife; they were unable to read unless it was the bible and were unable to earn or control finances. The oppression of women through violence is somewhat similar to The Handmaids Tale. There are threats of whipping and abuse if women dont follow the rules given by the men of the household. The main character Proctor also uses violence to keep the people in his house in line.
Proctor: Ill official you! (he strides to the mantel, and takes down the whip hanging there) Mary: (terrified but stands erect, striving for her authority) Ill not stand whipping anymore!
The fact that Proctor has power within the house shows that there are status rankings in the society. It also reflects how threatening to whip servants seems like a common practice. The oppression of women is also apparent here and if a feminist view is applied to this situation, we feel sympathetic towards Mary as she is daily faced with these threats if she doesnt obey what Proctor says. Both works show the true extent religion and men can have on the oppression of women when it comes to language and violence.
Manipulation and Seduction.
The powerlessness of women in both texts is explored through the means by which they attempt to gain power. Due to the oppressive hierarchical structures in both societies, women are forced to use seduction and manipulation to access a limited amount of power.
The Handmaids Tale explores the political oppression of women, carried out in the name of God but in large part motivated by a desire to control womens bodies. Gilead sees womens sexuality as dangerous: women must cover themselves from head to toe, for example, and not reveal their sexual attractions. Offred feels this ability to inspire sexual attraction is the only power she retains. Every other privilege is stripped away. When her power is reduced to almost none, she uses her body as a source of power that further assists her in confirming her subjectivity. She uses her body as a seductive apparatus.
Abigail, a main character of The Crucible uses seduction to gain power over a specific person, John Proctor. Abigail Williams is a very manipulative, seductive, and dishonest person. She is constantly caught up in a lie or is in the presence of trying to manipulate a person or a group of people. Abigail being an orphan and unmarried woman puts her into a position of powerlessness
Abigail uses various methods of manipulation throughout The Crucible. She manipulated anybody that was involved with her. Her manipulative tactics are used for personal gain and to try to get rid of Elizabeth Proctor. She uses the Salem witch trials to her advantage and accuses the proctors wife of witchery. Abigails manipulative ways prove to be beneficial to her, despite all the damage she causes to the entire town. Abigail is driven by lust and constantly attempts to seduce John Proctor and tries to convince him that hes still in love with her.
In both these pieces oppression is a strong theme, however the women use manipulation and seduction to gain whatever power they are capable of getting in such a religious town.
Women Maintain Power Through Lies
The powerlessness of women in both texts is explored through the means by which they attempt to maintain power. Due to the oppressive hierarchical structures in both societies, women are forced to use lies to maintain the limited access they have to the power they gain through seduction and manipulation.
In The Handmaids Tale Offred usually uses lies and the power from it to protect the people she cares about. As a woman who is unable to read or write without consequences, she has access to limited power, almost none. Without any power, Offred/June feels powerless when it comes to protecting the ones she loves. With the limited power she gains from seduction and manipulation, she uses it to her benefit. She does this by lying to the people in her household by pretending to be relatively obedient, she does this to make people oblivious of the limited power that she does have.
In The Crucible Abigail is known for using seduction and manipulation to get into peoples heads and to escape the punishments given for the crimes shes committed. This gives her a lot of power over everyone, as she gets away with so much and constantly puts the blame on other people. An unmarried woman and an orphan occupies a low rung on the Puritan Salem social ladder and for this has very little to no power. This puts her in a position to have to use lies as it is her only access to power.
The Crucible and The Handmaids Tale are very similar in the way that women are oppressed due to the men and Governments of their society. However, The Crucible is based in the 1690s and tells the story of the Salem witch trials, whereas The Handmaids Tale is set in the near future and tells the story of a totalitarian government and theocratic state that has replaced the United States of America and uses fertile women to fix the problem of low reproduction rates. So although these texts are completely different they still similarly show the oppression and powerlessness of women that a theocratic government can cause and how the oppression of women forces them to use seduction, manipulation, and lies to gain and maintain a limited amount of power.
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