Satirical Projection Of Challenges Confronted By Contemporary American Women In The Handmaid’s Tale Season One

The 2017 television adaptation of the dystopian canon The Handmaid’s Tale has constructed a fictional world that terrifies contemporary women.However,these horrifying situations for women in the show are extrapolated actual challenges that today’s American women are confronted with.Consequently,this thesis explores how Season One of The Handmaid’s Tale ironically extrapolates the challenges American women face,to be specific,violation of reproductive right,exploitation of surrogate mothers,and sexual violence against women.This thesis is consist of five parts.The introductory section includes the background information of the television series,literature review,theoretical foundation,the significance,and the layout.Chapter one digs into the show’s sardonic representation of American women’s reproductive right being violated through the implementation of laws and regulations,the execution of abortion stigma,and the unavailablility to safe abortions.The following chapter scrutinizes how Handmaids’ experience ironically displays the exploitation of American surrogate mothers;namely,American surrogate workers are objectified and are suffered from health issues and financial risks of surrogacy.The final chapter analyzes the show’s ironic representation of sexual violence against American women--widely-received myths against women,the entrapment of sex-trafficked women,and rape of women.The concluding part of this thesis sums up that Season One of The Handmaid’s Tale satirically reflects the violation of American women’s reproductive right,the exploitation of American surrogates,and the sexual violence against women.