Note: this is an A Level style essay for the international exam board EDEXCEL. I originally got 28/30 (which is a band five) for this essay but I have made some edits to some of the grammar or to make the sentences simply flow more. If you have any questions about English Literature at A Level or at a University level (I study English Literature and History at Durham University specifically but I can try and answer generally), I would be more than happy to answer them! The question I was answering was: compare the ways in which Atwood and Ishiguro portray victims of experimentation in the Handmaids Tale and Never Let Me Go?
In the Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood and Never Let Me Go by Kazou Ishiguro, the authors present the victims of experimentation through the Handmaids and the clones respectively. Both novels show the victims being indoctrinated into believing in the system of experimentation. However, ultimately, the narrator in the Handmaids Tale, Offred, appears to rebel against the regime, whilst Kathy in Never let Me Go submits to the fate determined for her by her regime.
In the Handmaid’s Tale, the experimentation if seen in the form of Gilead, a society which believes in upholding extreme gender roles, thus the role of women is limited to having their ability to have a child. Firstly, the Handmaids are marked by the colour red through their dress as “everything except the wings around my face is red”. To begin with, the colour red is a reference to the menstrual cycle, suggesting that these women are marked by their fertility, reflecting the Gileadean idea that a woman’s only role is to give birth and bear children. The symbolism of the colour red can also be interpreted as the colour of blood, signifying violence and harm, reflecting the damage caused by the Gileadean government as a result of their experimentation on the Handmaids. Furthermore, the ‘white wings’ are reminiscent of blinkers, used on animals such as horses as a method to maintain obedience. Not only is this dehumanising but also reflects the strong sense of control the regime have over the women lives. The colour ‘white’ being on only on the women’s heads also reflect the Gileadean government’s desire to erase the Handmaids minds, leaving it blank like a sheet of white paper. This loss of control is further reflected in how men of high status are described as being “issued a woman”. The term ‘issued’ is often associated with objects or a material good, thus dehumanising the women into a mere possession to be used by the men. Furthermore, ‘issued’ also connotes the idea that it is a guaranteed right of the receiver, stripping away the ability to choose from the women. These ideals prevalent in Gilead can be seen as an extreme reflection of the rise of the alt right movement in the 1980s in the United States of America, which advocated for strict gender roles and a. return to past societal structures, including a society determined by religion. Thus, the experimentation of the Handmaids Tale are the values and beliefs the Gileadean government impose on the Handmaids.
Similarly, the society presented in Never Let Me Go also imposes control over the clones in order to enable their form of experimentation. The guardian, Miss Lucy, reveals in an outburst that the clones’ “lives are set out for [them]…[they’ll] donate [their] virtual organs. That’s what each of [them] were created to do”. The term ‘set out’ suggests a structured plan, further suggesting a lack of free will and choice and reflecting the control the society has imposed on the clones’ lives. This is supported by the term ‘created’ which results in an imbalance of power reminiscent of God and his creations, further reducing the power possessed by the clones within the novel. This is contrasted by the term ‘donate’, carrying positive connotations of selflessness, and suggesting the clones have autonomy over their actions to give away their organs. The use of ‘donate’ helps maintain an illusion of control that the clones hold within their society. This type of experimentation is reflective of the biomedical development of the early 21st century, such as the development in cloning and eugenics. Therefore, the clones and the Handmaids are presented as being the victims of experimentation in which society imposes control over them for the benefit of greater society.
The ‘victims’ in both novels are presented as being indoctrinated into the experimentation. In Never Let Me Go, this is reflected in the lack of complaints and nonchalance adopted by the narrator, Kathy, as she describes a body as being able to “unzip like a bag opening up”. The words ‘unzip’ and ‘bag’ are both normal, mundane objects or activities which can easily be found in everyday life, This, this degrades the importance and danger of the surgery the clones are forced to go through. By comparing the act of donating organs to ‘unzipping’, Ishiguro creates a disconcerting mood in the reader as the lack of panic or outrage in the narration in response to such a horrific act clearly displays how deep the clones have been indoctrinated. This is later seen again in Kathy and Tommy’s inability to pursue relationship due to their role as donors is described as a mere “shame”, a term associated with things of low importance or a minor inconvenience. Similarly to the image of “unzipping”, this description degrades Tommy’s death to a minor inconvenience, further reflecting their level of indoctrination experienced of their clones as the idea of what is essentially their murder is dealt easily accepted by the narrator. However, during Ruth’s death, Kathy’s descriptive narration reflects her changing emotions and the sadness she experiences as a direct result of the experimentation on the clones. Ruth is described as squeezing Kathy’s hand whenever a “flood of pain made her twist away from me”. The term ‘flood’ suggests something unstoppable of a large quantity, reflecting the intense pain Ruth is feeling and evoking a sense of pathos from the reader. The image of water is also a constant motif throughout the novel, often used in a way to represent fate due to its unstoppable nature and being something natural. In contrast, Ruth is later described as her “twisting” seeming “scarily unnatural”. This is ironic as the society views the clones as the thing that is unnatural. It also contradicts the theme of fate and destiny, in which ‘unnatural’ suggests it is not normal for something to occur, which suggests that the idea of death through donations is not actually something normal for the clones to experience despite being titled their ‘completion’, suggesting they have fulfilled their purpose in life. Thus, whilst subtle, Kathy expresses her distress through the vivid imagery of Ruth’s death as a result of the experimentation.
Similarly, the narrator of the Handmaid’s Tale, Offred, is also seemingly indoctrinated into the ideals of the Gileadean society. Offred describes the Japanese tourists’ lipstick as “outlining the damp cavities of their mouth”. By comparing the mouths, a seemingly innocuous feature to “damp cavities”, a term which suggests a lack of hygiene and shows Offred’s disgust towards the innocent tourists’ choice of wearing makeup, something that has been used in order to express femininity and artistry. This is further reflected in the repeated motifs of Aunt Lydia’s teachings throughout the novel, stating ‘to be seen…is to be penetrated”. This quote embodies the teaching of modesty and the expectations of women to remain covered, whilst overly sexualising them. The term ‘penetrated’ holds sexual connotations, creating a sense of unconsensual intimacy and great discomfort and reflecting the over sexualisation of their bodies. This reflects a kind of paradox within the society, as in an attempt to create more modest women by the Gileadean standard, the regime have reduced women down to nothing but sex objects, and thus oversexualising them at the same time. The continuous flashbacks of Aunt Lydia’s teachings throughout the novel reflect the extent to which the Gileadean ideals have been ingrained into Offred’s beliefs and thoughts. However, similarly, to Kathy, Offred also presents an aspect of her character which does not seem indoctrinated. This is done in a much more overt manner. This is seen in the ‘night’ sections of the novel, which suggests darkness and hidden secrets, and may imply that it is Offred’s true thoughts. Offred describes her body during one of these sections as “my own territory”. The term ‘territory’ paired with the possessive pronoun ‘my’ has primal connotations, suggesting a sense of possessiveness and allowing her to reclaim her body as her own. This suggests that Offred may have not been fully indoctrinated by the regime, or the experimentation as reclaiming her body as her own greatly contradicts the Gileadean ideals. This is reflective of the literary movement ‘écriture féminine’, witch is a feminine style of writing with the aim of empowering women through the use of language and imagery of nature on.a large scale. This reflects what the woman is able to achieve as opposed to what they lack .Therefore, in both novels, the victims of experimentation appear to be indoctrinated through their public interactions, however, it is suggested that neither Offred nor Kathy are completely indoctrinated into the experiment, with Offred being more explicit in this narrative.
Finally, the authors present the victims final response to their experimentation, and whether or not they submit to the respective fates predetermined to them by their regime. In the Handmaids Tale, this is seen as being met with resistance such as the underground movement ‘mayday’, a term implying distress or destruction and acknowledging the unhappiness felt by the Handmaids. More significantly, Offred appears to have rebelled by the end of the novel as she “steps up, into the darkness within; or else the light”. Whilst the outcome of this remains ambiguous, this ending suggests Offred’s intent of rebellion and thus can be argued that the result does not matter as it is clear that she has broken out of her indoctrination. The ‘light’ is often associated with the rebellion movement as it connotes hope, whilst the ‘darkness’ may be representative of the regime due to its connotations of evil and oppression. Therefore, Offred, a victim of the Gileadean experiment intends to rebel against the regime imposed onto her. In contrast, Kathy is presented as fully submitting to her fate, describing her as “driving off to wherever it was I was supposed to be”. The term ‘supposed’ suggests a lack of free will and passivity, a stark contrast to Offred’s active verb ‘step’. Also, ‘driving’ is often associated throughout the novel with the idea of fate as driving often follows one single road, suggesting a single path for the clones. Thus, it suggests that Kathy has submitted to the experimentation unlike Offred who is suggested to have rebelled, although the results of this rebellion remain ambiguous.
In conclusion, the victims are presented in Never Let Me Go and The Handmaid’s Tale are the clones and the Handmaids respectively. The Handmaids are forced into an experimentation in the form of Gilead, in which Offred appears to be semi indoctrinated but ultimately ends up rebelling against the regime. In Never Let Me Go, the clones are fired into a scientific experiment where they are forced to donate their organs to the rich, leading to their deaths. Similarly to Offred, Kathy appears to have been indoctrinated to a certain extent, however, it is suggested that she does not end up rebelling like Offred does but rather submits to the regime imposed onto her.