Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale"

Paper Summary:

In a novel, the author can highlight the themes in the narrative by commenting on what is happening. This cannot be achieved so easily in a film, unless the film also contains a voice-over narrative offering comment. This paper shows that, since Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" has important and relevant themes, it is critical that they are transferred to the screen. Since the themes cannot be communicated by actually describing them or providing comment on what is happening, the events presented must be captured in such a way as to make the viewer aware of the underlying themes. This paper focuses particularly on the scene where the main character, Offred, visits the doctor, showing how this scene incorporates many of the book's scenes.

From the Paper:

"The scene of the doctor examining Offred will then be shown by focusing on Offred's face and having the actions of the doctor seen in silhouette. This will allow enough detail to be seen for the viewer to know what is happening without any need for actually showing the details of the examination. The focus on Offred's face will also illustrate her attempts to ignore what is happening. In the novel, the doctor is referred to as being talkative and as calling Offred ?honey.? This will be included in the film, with this helping to make the scene seem like Offred is being violated and not just examined. This will then lead to the climax of the scene where the doctor suggests that he can help Offred by having sex with her. The view of the scene will remain focused on Offred's face, with the doctor not seen but only heard."

More papers on Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale":

• Comparison Essay # 100871 : "Dreams and Memories in "Nineteen Eighty Four" and "The Handmaids Tale"
• Comparison Essay # 112541 : "The Handmaids Tale" and "Moll Flanders"
• Comparison Essay # 100541 : "1984" and "The Handmaid's Tale"
• Book Review # 106149 : "Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale"

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