Exile is a state of being in isolation and alienation from oneself and/or peers. Exile in literature pertains to the alienation of characters in a story or novel. The characters are somehow excluded, terminated, and made to seem insignificant through various acts of discrimination and inappropriateness. These characteristics are evident in many pieces of literature, among them is The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. In this novel there are many examples of how the dignity of women is considered unimportant and ignorable because they are not considered of equal standing with men. To the heads of state, they are nothing but objects that can be played with at the man’s interests and desire and done away with if not capable of producing an offspring. This specifically related to the society’s views on the handmaids.

    First of all, the entire viewpoint of the novel is through the eyes of a certain handmaid named Offred, who is alienated in many ways. At first, she has a misconception about what is happening in the world because she was torn apart from her family and friends and does not understand where and why everything ‘went wrong’. The right and wrongs that she is told about her life from the new educators of the society- about how her life should be, how she should act, and what is proper is supposed to be her newfound truth for the betterment of society. However, as the novel progresses, we see that she is starting to remember how things used to be- mainly how woman were treated- and she realizes that this is not the kind of way a woman should have to go through life. This realization on her part is a major step for her to try to find others like herself who feel the same way so that she can ‘escape’ this terrible experiment in the structure of society gone wrong. This search was rather difficult because the handmaids were not allowed to talk to each other openly in public for fear that the other might report them as a traitor if they did not accept the new society. This alienation itself is worse for the main character because she is now isolated from her peers- the people she can ‘supposedly’ trust.

    Moreover, the proper thinking of the creators of this society is that the act of sex, for which the handmaids serve, is just an act with no feelings involved. In all honesty, this novel tries to deny the existence of such passion in this dystopian society when it is obvious that such human urges are not avoidable and concealable in any circumstances. This is proven to be true with the relationship the Commander wants to have with Offred, and Offred’s relationship with Nick, the Commander’s driver. The Commander wants more than just a loveless transaction. He tries to be Offred’s friend and have them have some type of affection towards each other. Likewise, the Commander is also separated in many ways from Offred because of her ‘love’ affair with Nick. The passion between Offred and Nick is what the Commander is seeking and he does not realize that he will not be able to attain this because it is something Offred cannot feel towards him. Offred’s relationship with the Commander is something that is physical and fake while her relationship with Nick is beyond the physical sense in that they actually ‘love each other’ passionately. The society of the Gilead, however, does not accept this type of human behavior. They feel it is not proper or appropriate to act on one’s impulses and feelings especially when the whole point of fertility is not for pleasure but for the betterment of the human society through the child produced.

    Furthermore, the commander is excluded and betrayed by Nick not only in that he is having an affair with Offred, but he is also part of the secret society to try to end the discrimination and overturn the Gilead. This is known at the end of the novel when Nick gets important ‘eye’ officers to come and take Offred away because he thinks she is in danger since the Commander’s wife unraveled the ‘passionate’ affair with the Commander and Offred. The truth is she was not in danger because all the Commander’s wife wanted to do was resolve the situation within the household and continue to live their lives. This misconception, however, helped Offred to escape and be free from the fascist society.

    Finally, the theme of exile and alienation is evident in The Handmaid’s Tale in that the characters all experience different types of isolation from society, each other, or themselves. No matter how the separation is carried out, the ‘abnormality’ society’s dictates is definitely not the normal in anyone’s interests. The affairs were all an attempt to find some type of fulfillment and happiness missing. The novel itself brings forth many interesting concepts and ideas that are shocking because they can possibly happen. This concept is certainly disturbing yet unavoidable. All this is the result of the restraints and structure of a society that has forced its citizens to accept the agenda of an elite ruling minority.