Notesale: Turn your study into money

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Atwood uses the Commander as a tool to present male power and privilege in the
Gilead regime

I agree with this statement to a large extent, the Commander is used as a tool to present
male power and privilege; simultaneously, he is a figure of sympathy that draws some
pathos from readers, especially considering that he desires a world before the totalitarian
Gilead, a common wish shared by both Offred and the Commander
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Upon
speaking, the Commander is dismissive of Offred’s concerns that the club is illegal, telling
her that “everyone’s human”
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” The selective choice of the verb ‘demand’ reflects the same authoritative
dictation made by men yet again; in this case, readers view it as the running of the forbidden
Club made to benefit men, yet other times in the novel it is displayed merely as the existence
of the social hierarchy within Gilead itself - controlled by the same group of powerful men
who again benefit off the ranking
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Women are objectified as a ‘collection’, a clear dehumanisation of women that again reduces
them to instruments that men can benefit off of
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Atwood was heavily influenced by second wave feminism, occuring
throughout 20th Century, at a time where rape was legal within marriage
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In disagreement with the given statement, it can be argued that Commander does not in fact
have as much privilege as readers assume
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This subverts the
reader’s original expectation for the Commander, and readers anticipate Offred’s encounter
with him, largely based on the fact that such meetings are illegal
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His wish to merely play
with Offred for the sake of basic entertainment is representative of his own dissatisfaction
with the Gileadean Regime
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A defining characteristics of the
Commander is that he is polite; yet, he is simultaneously guilty of developing a society that
forces women into institutional rape
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Once again, the Commander is used as a tool to present male priveledge
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The Commander uses his power to coerce
Offred into having sex with him
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‘Ownership’ connotes possession,
again reflecting how Offred is merely an instrument solely used for the pleasure of the
Commander and he is her immediate agent of oppression
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This patriarchal submission is often at the sake of their own well-being, and is
a central idea in perpetuating male dominance and power
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This is ironic considering the Commander has aided the
design of a society that values sexual abstinence and purity; yet, not only does he not hold
himself to this standard, but has created a ‘club’ itself for sexual immorality, proving that the
men in power are corrupt and use their priveledge solely to their advantage
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Although he is
presented with some amicable features, his responsibility for the creation of Gilead
supersedes his genuineness
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