The characters' internal struggles. The handmaids are constantly torn between survival and resistance. Offred's inner thoughts and her journey of self - discovery within the confines of Gilead are very powerful. It shows how individuals can still maintain a sense of self even in the most oppressive environments.
One of the top stories is about the handmaids' struggle for basic rights. They are treated as vessels for reproduction in a totalitarian society, and their fight against this dehumanizing system is a central theme.
The main factor is the strong emotions they evoke. For example, in 'The Little Mermaid', we feel her heartbreak when she doesn't get her happy ending. It makes us think about sacrifice and unrequited love.
A very impactful quote is 'We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave off no smell. No one mentioned us.' This shows the invisibility of the oppressed in the society of the novel. They are there but not really accounted for in the grand narrative.
The sense of loss in a sad fairy tale story is often very impactful. For example, in 'The Little Mermaid', she loses her voice and her chance to be with the prince she loves. This kind of loss creates a strong emotional reaction in the readers or listeners.
The restrictive and oppressive social structure, lack of personal freedoms, and the extreme gender-based control in the story make it dystopian.
In 'A Handmaid's Tale', the oppressive society depicted is what turns it into a personal horror story. The lack of equality, especially for women, is disturbing. The way they are treated as property, assigned to specific households, and forced into a role they don't want. The constant fear of the authorities and the inability to escape this system is truly a horror. It makes one realize how fragile freedom can be and how important it is to fight for equality in our own society.
The strong themes. It deals with issues like gender inequality and a totalitarian regime which are very relevant.
The speculative nature of its concepts. It imagines a world where the government has extreme control over reproduction, which is a form of science - fictional speculation. Also, the way it re - imagines social relationships and power dynamics in a very different way from what we know is characteristic of science fiction. It takes current social issues and extrapolates them to an extreme future scenario.
Well, for example, '1984' is impactful because it warns us about the dangers of totalitarianism. The idea of Big Brother watching you is very powerful. 'Brave New World' makes us think about the ethics of genetic engineering and a society based on pleasure - seeking. They are impactful as they make us question the direction our own society could be heading in.
The Handmaid's Tale is set in a dystopian future where fertile women are forced into sexual servitude to bear children for the ruling class. It follows the protagonist's struggle to survive and resist this oppressive regime.