Dystopian #2

Prompt B

In Handmaid's Tale, the character Moira cannot conform to the new society she is forced in to. Her definition of freedom is different than what the Aunts continue to preach and what the handmaids believe. "In the light of Moira, the Aunts were less fearsome and more absurd." (Atwood 133). The handmaids had given up all their beliefs and listened to the Aunts out of fear. Moira, however, would not. Her  bravery was something that was admired and feared by the other handmaids, for they preferred the freedom to stay alive rather than the freedom to live and risking their lives. The Aunts instill fear in the handmaids; Moira instills fear the Aunts, a relationship that shows the flaws of the society. The resistance that Moira employs is the attempt to kill an Aunt and make them fear her enough to let her be free. However, the attempt is not successful, showing how powerful the society is.  Her punishment was to have her feet be so battered up that she would no longer be able to walk normally again. A physical punishment such as the distortion of a body part is key in keeping the fear in the society. The handmaids are reminded everyday of what could happen if they rebel just by looking at Moira and seeing the pain and embarrassment of it. Moira continually attempts to defy the law throughout the book, whether it's smoking or stabbing an Aunt, and that makes her a key character in the novel because it shows that not every person in this society has conformed. She isn't scared of the government 

WC: 269