Date of Award
3-4-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
School of Communication
First Advisor
Joseph R. Zompetti
Abstract
This thesis examines the first season of the television show The Handmaid’s Tale, in order to better understand why the program has resonated in this historical moment to the extent that political activists use costumes from the show in their protests. I applied McGee’s (1980) ideograph theory in combination with a feminist lens to identify and explore five prominent symbols in the show. One ideograph in particular, , is especially dynamic in that it transforms from a marker of oppression to one of solidarity. I argue that the ideographs, which are highly gendered and mainly visual in nature, give The Handmaid’s Tale its power to transcend the screen and become a rallying cry for many women who see the Trump presidency as a threat to their rights.
Recommended Citation
Wozniak, Jessica Marie, "A Resistance in Red: Ideographs in the Handmaid's Tale" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 1213.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/1213
DOI
http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2020.Wozniak.J
Page Count
108
Comments
Imported from ProQuest Wozniak_ilstu_0092N_11646.pdf