A man versus society conflict portrays the struggle between a person’s beliefs and what the general society thinks about the issue. In a patriarchal society, for example, where men are preferred over women, a feminist trying to advocate for women’s rights is likely to experience a man vs. society conflict. Of all the authors in unit five, Margaret Atwood portrays a man vs. society conflict in her work, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), better than the other two authors. In the novel, people in the republic of Gilead have a negative tradition of taking away women’s rights by controlling, exploiting, and condemning them. The women in the society accepted their fate and remained submissive regardless of how bad they felt. Offred is the protagonist in the novel who struggles against all odds to maintain her identity and protect the rights of women against the oppressive regime (Atwood, 2006). The man vs. society conflict is depicted by how she is passionate about freeing herself from the societal norms against women.
One of the most recent novel that connects to Offred’s story is My Story by Kamala Das, who narrates her story as a woman growing up in a highly gender polarized society. In India, most women are not given equal chances to study and access employment opportunities. She explains how women face frustration, pain, untold suffering, and gloom. She narrates how she navigated society to become one of the most celebrated poets in the world (Das, 2011). She experienced the man vs. society conflict because she struggled to go to school and exploit her academic potential. Kamala Das’s story connects with Offred’s story since they both understood their purpose in life and went against the odds in society to achieve their goal. It is, however, prudent to note that man vs. society conflict is severe, and lives may be lost in the process. One question I would ask my peers is, Why is feminism considered a man vs. society conflict?
References
Atwood, M. (2006). The handmaid’s tale (Vol. 301). Everyman’s Library.
Das, K. (2011). My story. DC Books. Web.