The theme of threat is prevalent in both the novels of The Handmaid's Tale and Frankenstein, with authors Mary Shelley and Margaret Atwood using manipulation of the natural to evoke the sense of threat and highlight the tactical threat of knowledge within the society of Gilead and the life of Victor Frankenstein.
Manipulation of the Natural
Both novels develop the sense of threat through the manipulation of the natural. Atwood presents threat as caused by the totalitarian regime of Gilead, depicting physical, emotional, and mental abuse that evokes emotivism in readers by creating a mirror image of our world today. The manipulation of a world familiar to readers creates the sense of threat within the capabilities of humankind. Atwood uses the Night chapters to demonstrate the manipulation of the natural society. Offred's flashbacks serve as a connection with the reader, reminding us of the world we live in today and how the powers of humanity have the capability to manipulate and destroy society.
In Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein neglects nature by changing the natural order, bringing life from death, developing a threatening sentiment in the ways that Victor seems to be 'rebelling.' He has been enlightened.
Portrayal of Threat in Gilead and Frankenstein's Society
In The Handmaid's Tale, powerful men exploit women and their bodies with the justification of religion, creating a man-made threat and a consequence of human power and the totalitarian regime of Gilead. The society in Gilead is derived selectively from characteristics and traditional values of puritanism, creating a sense of threat for the reader through the attitudes towards women and the change in tense from chapter one, evoking threat through a comparison of what has been and what is now.
In Frankenstein, Shelley uses the gothic elements of physiology and Victor's interest in dismissing the finality of death to evoke the sense of threat in Victor neglecting what is natural to the society of the time. Victor's actions and beliefs, as a product of the Enlightenment, reveal how wary of the Enlightenment era she was through the actions and beliefs of Victor Frankenstein, calling attention to the threat of rebelling against the virtues of nature and the insatiable desire for more, eventually leading to his downfall.
Threat of Knowledge
In The Handmaid's Tale, knowledge is a forsaken characteristic to 'own' within the society of Gilead, with the handmaid's education being restricted, developing the ideas that they are under threat within the element of knowledge.
In Frankenstein, knowledge becomes his downfall, his hamartia. Victor appears to have an insatiable desire for knowledge, being aware of the threat of knowledge and ambition and warning others of its powers.
Both novels portray the theme of threat in societal structures, manipulation of the natural, and the consequences of the pursuit of knowledge. These themes serve to highlight the vulnerabilities of humanity and the impact of these vulnerabilities in creating a sense of threat within the capabilities of humankind.
