Abstract
It is said that literature is all continuity, all echo. In other words, there is a recurrence of certain patterns, themes, problems, and images in many literary works. This can be applied to Feminist writers who used to be demanders of women rights. They believe that males’ power over women is consolidated by ideological my This about women. These myths are part of a powerful socializing influence upon women that leads them to define their major role as that of a mother, housekeeper and child-bearer. Margaret Atwood, whose fame lies on her boldness and versatility, is a feminist Canadian writer. Though she refuses to label her works with feminism, many of her literary works are revealed through the eyes of powerless women. Atwood’s literary texts mainly deal with females’ way of feeling, thinking and acting. She links her female characters with suffering, and she believes that their suffering comes from real life. Atwood’s literature, in fact, is concerned with sexual politics which is one of the terms that joined the second wave of Feminism in 1970. It refers to ideas and activities that are concerned with how power is shared between men and women, and how this affects their relationshipsThe aim of this paper is to examine Atwood as a feminist writer rather than an anti- feminist as she believes herself to be, in addition to the fact that sexual politics is a recurrent theme that dominates most of her literary works. This paper includes three sections and a conclusion. Section One is an introductory one. It introduces the reader to Margaret Atwood’s literary personality. Section Two deals with the major themes, motifs and symbols in Atwood’s poetry by which she shows how the sexual inequality is institutionalized in society .Section Three sheds light on Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale,in which women’s rights are ignored and their freedom and identity are seduced bya totalitarian society. Conclusion gives an overview of this paper’s most important findings.
