Alternative communication methods as resistance in Margaret Atwood's the Handmaid's Tale

The purpose of this thesis is to understand the effects of alternative methods of communication on the power dynamics between the oppressor and the oppressed in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Within this framework, it analyses the ways the narrator tries to maintain individuality against the regime's silencing methods, and it explores the underground organization's strategies for active resistance. Although in the Red Centers, the Handmaids are indoctrinated through the regime's "mythologies" which sets regulations on their reproductive capacity, body movements, and daily language, this study tries to show that the resistance against oppression is alive in "trivial discourses" such as rumours, gossip and body language which may have a role in social change. The underground organization also maintains active resistance through "networking" and "grapevine", which can be interpreted as a "silent" rebellion that extends beyond the borders of Gilead, and to the next generation. This study also touches upon the possibility of the overthrowing of the regime through discussions of the concept of "utopian hope". The muted group's alternative methods of communication and solidarity become useful for both individual and collective resistance and increase the hope for liberation from the darkness of the patriarchal and religiously dogmatic Gilead regime