“IF I HAVE AN EGG, WHAT MORE CAN I WANT?”: MARGARET ATWOOD’S THE HANDMAID’S TALE

Abstract

This article attempts to explore the metaphorical representations of eggs in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, suggesting that eggs represent not only an oppressive tool to control the Handmaids but also a symbol of resistance against the patriarchal norms imposed by the Gilead administration. Its first section uncovers the ideology of patriarchy, gender cannibalism, and dehumanization embedded within the representation of eggs in the novel. The second part foregrounds the notion of eggs-as-feminine-resistance through making visible the metaphorical connection between eggs, the lunar moon, women’s wombs, cave, and love in The Handmaid’s Tale(THT). As the author argues, these representative elements function as a powerful counter-narrative as opposed to Gilead’s patriarchal and totalitarian consciousness.