Reproductive Dystopias: A Comparative Analysis of Surrogacy in The Handmaid’s Tale and The Farm

Abstract

The article dives into the comparative examination of reproductive dystopias in two notable literary works, Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid’s Tale and Joanne Ramos's The Farm. These books provide unsettling pictures of futures in which women's reproductive bodies are treated as property. Fertile women in The Handmaid’s Tale are relegated to the position of 'handmaids' by the theocratic state of Gilead, where they are routinely impregnated and compelled to have children for the ruling elite. The plot of The Farm centres on a high-end surrogacy centre that hires women from poor backgrounds to carry its customers' children. Examining these dystopian fictions via a comparative perspective, this article examines how they mirror social fears about women's reproductive rights, autonomy, and exploitation of women's bodies. It also analyses how the writers attack modern themes like gender inequity, reproductive technology, and the commercialization of parenting via these tales. This comparative research sheds light on these dystopian ideas, providing a thought-provoking look at the possible repercussions of reproductive exploitation and the critical need to protect women's reproductive autonomy in the actual world.