Issues of gender and identity have often been addressed in literature. Women have lived under the rule of patriarchy for many centuries, yearning and searching for an identity of their own. Gender discrimination and stereotyping have often led to identity crises. From the earliest plays and novels to today, women have faced repression in one way or another. Society operated with a narrow-minded notion that men were treated as the superior sections of society, they had the privilege to educate themselves and do what they wanted while women were of the inferior sex and were under the constant surveillance of men. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Women were taught to be submissive, quiet, and to limit themselves to household chores only. They were expected to look after the children and were only allowed to learn to sing, dance or play the piano. The constitution of marriage was the only factor that gave women some recognition in society, those who married had the privilege of asserting their dominance over the rest of the women. Gender norms pose a challenge to women in society who must exercise their own identity. In a patriarchal society, it is difficult to raise your voice and talk about establishing your own individuality when women and their children are economically and socially dependent on the men in the house. Male domination is a common theme taken up by writers including Margaret Atwood. who managed to capture the patriarchal regime, gender conflicts mixed with identity crisis and religious influence in his novels very precisely by creating images of a dystopian world. Margaret Eleanor Atwood is a Canadian poet, novelist and literary critic. Her works address various issues, primarily the power of language, gender and identity, power politics and religion. She refers to her books as the work of social realism rather than giving it a feminist identity. Atwood created a dystopian world in her two texts, The Handmaid's Tale and The Edible Woman, where she speaks specifically about issues of gender and identity. The Handmaid's Tale is set in the near future where people live in a totalitarian state and the book chronicles the life of a woman and her journey to becoming a handmaid while dealing with identity issues. The text explores themes of female subjugation in a male-dominated society where all women aspire to their own identity and the freedom to do as they desire. The narration jumps from the present to the past quite often and is from the point of view of a handmaiden named Offred. Women assigned as servants have the sole purpose of providing an heir for the family, and they are also expected to run errands. Only children born without defects are accepted by the people and those with any deformity are not, but it is not exactly clear what is happening as the narrator knows in the text. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized essay now from our expert writers.Get a Custom Essay The Edible Woman is the story of a young woman named Marian whose healthy, structured world begins to fall apart. She is going through an identity crisis and feels disconnected from her body and herself. The narrative point shifts from person to person, depicting an identity conflict where the first narrative takes control later in the..