y by religious leaders in the United States; and then a variety of events from around the world could not be ignored, particularly the rising fanaticism of the Iranian monotheocracy.” (Atwood 316 )During the 1980’s many people debated about the feminist attitudes toward sexuality and their attitudes toward pornography. Many different views were expressed. Some said that all erotica depicting women as sexual objects is demeaning. Others argued that pornography was bad but erotica could be good, that “although pornography is demeaning the protection of civil liberties is a greater good which requires the toleration of freedom for pornographers.” (Feuer 2) It was the need to protect “good women” from sex that justified the repression. Islamic women sometimes argue that “assuming the veil and traditional all-covering clothing is aimed at dealing with sexual harassment and sexual objectification.” (Britannica 1203) This kind of talk is feminist, but the results are very patriarchal, as in the novel.It is highly unlikely that religious right would ever adopt the sexual practices depicted in the novel; but she is trying to argue that patriarchal traditions which value women only as sex objects can be as demeaning as modern day customs which place women as sex objects. It’s not very realistic, the events aren’t likely to take place in the near future but the attitudes and values it conveys are present in today’s society. When questioned as to what the reader is supposed to learn from the novel Atwood responded, “ This is a book about what happens when certain casually held attitudes about women are taken to their logical conclusion….Take these beliefs to their logical ends and see what happens. As a writer, you can chose to create a mainstream novel in which the issues appear only as the characters discuss them…But I decided to take these positions and dramatiz...
