A Comparison of The Handmaids Tale and Anthem

A Comparison of The Handmaids Tale and Anthem The two novels, The Handmaids Tale and Anthem, are both haunting, first person tales of personal hardship in a closed and controlled society. In this essay I will point out many important similarities and differences between the two books, mainly the setting and the similarities between the two societies in which the stories take place, as well as more important differences between the main characters. To start I would like to compare the settings of the two books. In Anthem the story takes place sometime in the future after some catastrophic event. Apparently society as we know it was destroyed and the leaders that were left decided that the problem was the individual, that all†¦show more content†¦The main character in The Handmaids Tale is less of a pro-active person she knows that her society is flawed, and she tells the reader that she does not like her life yet she does nothing about it. The high ranking general that she is handmaid for takes her into a position of confidence, and rather than use her position to affect positive change she squanders it on cheap pleasures such as asking for a magazine to read, and playing bored games. In ending I would like to say that although both characters live in similar controlling societies, I like the one in Anthem the best because he was pro-active and he did something about his surroundings rather than just accept what was and go