Although both Medea and The Handmaid’s Tale depicted stories of different individuals, but an underlying societal issue can be explored. Individuals act as epitomes of the society, therefore individuals can be very representative and symbolic.
In Medea, although Euripides has drawn the attention onto Medea’s own story, through some of her lines we can still see the injustice of the society. For example, in the beginning, after Jason’s betrayal, the Chorus was not on the same side with Medea as she believed that Medea’s reactions were too extreme. This is due to the influence of societal norms on people, resulting in their unequal views on both of the genders. Moreover, Jason’s thought on the marriage is significantly different fro Medea’s. In his point of view, he believed that his leaving will benefit Medea and the two children financially, and Medea should not be blaming on him. Jason is a typical epitome of the society, therefore the how the society views and treats women are presented through the portrayal of Jason. The audiences’ sympathy for Medea was evoked as Medea tells her story. Through the dialogues with Jason and her monologues, her background story was revealed and her actions were justified. This has resulted in the audience to feel more connected with Medea, therefore leads them to think about the injustice she is facing in this relationship.
In The Handmaid’s Tale, the story is being told from a first person’s perspective. Offred, the female lead character portrayed a dystopian word through her lens. Society was presented through her own experiences and the witness of others being treated unfairly. Point of view plays a significant role in conveying the message of injustice present in the society, as it is a more direct way of reflecting the narrator’s emotions. Through Offred’s first person’s point of view, the audiences can be affiliated with her feelings, thus acting as a powerful technique for addressing the aim of this text. Her rebellion gradually develops throughout the book, as her emotions accumulates, the audiences are more connected with her hence believing in the fact that all her actions can be justified due to the societal context.