Social Cannibalism and Sexual Politics in Margret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale

Feminist writers used to be demanders of women rights. They believe that males’ power over women is consolidated by ideological myths 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 relationships The 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.