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  • Essay / Analysis of the narrative in Memoirs of a Geisha and The Handmaid's Tale

    Narrative is at the heart of the human condition, connecting individuals by conveying universal concepts such as female oppression, which transcend both time and social context to bring the public to recognize the pursuit of these issues. Atwood's dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale (1985) explores the powerful role of narratives in inspiring change in society's oppression of women by subverting understandings of contemporary society. Similarly, in Marshall's Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), the objectification of women fails to value and promote their individuality. Thus, both Offred and Sayuri illustrate the suppression of female identity by presenting stories that engage readers to reflect on their own perceptions of female struggles within society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Atwood explores the harmful effects of denying women's identities, warning of the potential repercussions of women's subjugation. The Handmaid's Tale reinvents the dystopian genre by speculating on a totalitarian regime where women are sexually negated and objectified as an instrument of reproduction. Atwood challenges the oppression of women in society to promote second and third wave feminist values ​​of female autonomy and individualism. Through Offred's narrative prism, we see the effect of Gilead's dehumanizing regime through the hyperbole that "We are containers, only the inside of our bodies are important", emphasizing the enslavement of the State on the bodies of women by the materialization of their womb and thus denied. the physical agent of fertility. Furthermore, we see the oppression of women in Gilead through the unjust procreative ritual of the ceremony, where the metaphor: “Now the flesh organizes itself differently. I am a frozen cloud around a central, pear-shaped object,” depicts the incongruence between his body and his psyche, thus suggesting his loss of individuality following Gilead's demoralizing regime. Thus, Atwood uses her novel as a warning against the current weakening of female identity, criticizing the paralyzing and dehumanizing effect of the denial of women's autonomy. However, throughout Memoirs of a Geisha, Marshall represents women as symbols of beauty and a superficial veneer to criticize society. expectations placed on women that undermine their identity. Unlike The Handmaid's Tale, Marshall delves into pre-World War II Japan to investigate constructed gender roles in the face of political tensions. In the montage of Sayuri's transformation into a geisha, Marshall's mirror motif represents his critique of society's preoccupation with artificial appearances, focusing on one's reflection rather than one's internal characteristics. Additionally, the exploitation of women is mediated through Sayuri's mizuage auctions, or virginity by rich men, where "no man would ever offer that much for a 'thing' he had already taken", which suggests that Sayuri's mizuage is commodified and reduced to meaningless meaning. thing, a devaluation of women's identity. Marshall's narrative through the depiction of the geisha illustrates how non-material things like women's virginity do not belong to all women, allowing the audience to empathize and be grateful for freedom sexuality that we currently have. Through such narration, Marshall foregrounds Sayuri's female voice and perspective in a..