The Handmaid's Tale

I remember this being a shocking book, but I had forgotten how shocking it was until I started to re-read it. Like 1984, Gilead is a totalitarian state and it would be easy to dismiss it as patriarchal, but it is not that simple. It is women, through the aunt’s network that reinforce the rules and the ideology of each woman having her place. From the Marthas, to the Handmaidens, the Wives, Econwives, the Daughters and the Aunts. We are told of the punishment for stepping out of line is to be an unwoman and sent to the colonies. A place of radioactivity where you are essentially sent to work in the squalor until you die. This is obviously meant to be a fate worse than death. Yet by the middle of the novel we see the Commander breaking the rules and seeing Offred on her own at night. Equally we see the wife offering her the chauffeur in the hope that he may be more fertile. There appears to be a double standard here, with those in power believing they can get away with what they see as indiscretions.Handmaids are revered for their fertility and forbidden from self-harm, yet the wives can treat them as they like, short of killing them. There is a suggestion that their diet is closely monitored to ensure the maximum health and fertility. Any object that could be used as a weapon is removed. The windows are shatterproof, the light fittings can’t be used to hang yourself from, they are not allowed cigarettes or matches. When they leave the house they walk in two’s, for their protection and to monitor each other. This is state paternalism at its worst.Like all imposed regimes they recognise the situation is difficult for the first generation, but it is done for the good of humanity. Education is removed at least for women, if not men, presumably to quell or stop the spread of dissent. There is strict policing on the grounds of safety, with the ‘eyes’ representing a secret police force. Daughters robed in white, are given in multiple arranged marriage ceremonies, reinforcing the idea of dating and promiscuity being a bad thing. There is even an underlying suggestion that all men are potential rapists.The Handmaiden is called Offred, or ‘of Fred.’ A term of possession which is given to each successive Handmaiden as demonstrated by Ofglen who is replaced at the end of the novel. They are encouraged and don’t remember their old names, such is the mental conditioning. They are given tokens for their shopping, reinforcing the idea that they can’t read. Reading is forbidden, even the Bible is kept locked away. Like in the middle ages if the peasants learnt to read they would not need the priests. Again this is all about enforcing and maintaining control.The colours used for the different women are interesting. Red is for the Handmaidens and is traditionally associated with sacrifice and the blood of Christ. Blue is for the wives and is usually associated with wisdom, it is also the colour of the virgin Mary in catholic tradition. Green is worn by the Martha’s and represents obedience. Brown worn by the Aunts symbolises sin, false teaching, death and Satan. This is interesting because the Aunts know what they are doing, but they still do it anyway. Either they are corrupted by power, or they are indoctrinated into believing this is the only solution and they are right.The ending was very interesting, treating the Handmaids Tale as an account of what had happened in the past, as the basis of an academic assessment. By looking back to discover the people and the places in the account they are questioning the validity of the source. It also allows the author to explain certain practices and the wider significance. They refer to this period as redrawing the map of the world in terms of power and authority. The speaker points to nuclear accidents, Aids, biological warfare and chemical pollution as a reason for the sterility of the population. It explains the term salvaging and particicution as a way of giving the Handmaidens power to release the violence of their emotions. There is the private Jewish repatriation scheme which saw many people set adrift in boats and left to die, in the name of profit. The lecturer finishes by saying that history only gives us a partial view and we can never know exactly what happened.

'The Handmaid's Tale' is a dystopian tale not unlike Orwell's "1984". Told from a first person perspective (in rather succinct sentences) it is the story of a woman bereft of freedom after a landslide change in American society. A military coup has led to a rigid feudal system of male rule, grounded (at least partly) in Christian belief. As a result of pollution and/or nuclear warfare fertility in humans has gone down significantly. Fertile women are, therefore, valuable, and as our heroine belongs to this group she's been groomed to be a so-called Handmaid. These women are first 'educated' (i.e. brainwashed or simply beaten into submisson and meekness) and then assigned to a married childless couple. Their job is to provide children and if they fail, they will either be assigned to some other couple or be disposed of altogether.We find Offred (as the woman is called) as she dwells at the house of a couple she is assigned to and gradually the story unfolds as she deals with her situation and reminisces about what has been lost. Offred's life is severely restricted - books are forbidden, guards and spies (called 'Eyes') are everywhere and even talking to fellow Handmaids is quite difficult. But as always every system has its flaws and adversaries.The main strength of 'The Handmaid's tale' is its psychological prowess: Atwood's descriptions of the thinking processes of a woman so hemmed in are completely believable and devoid of romanticism. Indeed, Offred doesn't have any special abilities or mental strength and merely tries to make the best of things without taking needless risks. Or to put it more bluntly: to stay alive.Unfortunately the realism of Offred's mind processes is not reflected in the outline of the society she lives in. It's almost like Offred's world is a square mile of clarity surrounded by an ocean of cloud. We get to know very little about life in this new society and indeed how it works. Yes, we know there are Handmaids, Angels, Eyes, Commanders, Wives, Aunts and servants of several kinds but together they seem to live in a sort of vacuum. Not a plumber or milkman in sight. Another weak point is the inconsistency in the way Handmaids are treated. At first it seems they're so precious they have to be kept locked up doing practically nothing and prevented from doing self-harm (to the point of removing hooks from ceilings), but at the end of the book we find that Offred is able to sneak out of the door night after night without anyone noticing. And a whole group of them is encouraged to tear a 'traitor' apart without acknowledging the damage it could do to the 'fruit of their wombs'. Finally, the deus ex machina (open) ending didn't satisfy me at all. Why would people of the (rather vague) resistance opt to get our Plain Jane out of trouble?While 'The Handmaid's Tale' does not compare favorably with '1984' in its strength of message, it is nevertheless very good at depicting how hard it is for anybody not part of the happy few to deal with the grinding rules of society and especially one in which personal freedom is extremely limited - and a reminder of how incredibly lucky we are to experience such freedom in our lives.

Such powerful writing,it actually forces one to let go of your shroud of worries and enter those of the main character: like totally remembering a past life, -or a future one?

Livro maravilhoso que leva a reflexão

Margaret Atwood sits atop a class of master storytellers. She has penned a litany of great books, but I truly consider this to be her best work ever. I was somewhat shocked, while doing my due diligence before purchasing this novel, at the number of reviewers (to the greatest extent women) who either outright dismissed it as – one example – “a fabrication beyond belief” or who decried its portrayal of women as “exceedingly objectifying” and “just like sex objects.”OK, the each their own, but even the most rudimentary of content descriptions makes clear that this is a dystopian novel that is – from Amazon’s own opening blurb – “a stunning Orwellian vision of the near future (where) Handmaids . . . have only one purpose: to breed.”It goes on to describe the story as “Provocative, startling, prophetic . . . at once a mordant satire and a dire warning.”So, no, this will not be everyone’s cup of tea. Some may find deeply disturbing the things Atwood conceptualizes; may choose to see such things as simply impossible, or may choose to simply dismiss the story and or author for what they perceive are the failings of either. All of these, I find, to be quite acceptable, but the “I didn’t know what I was buying” or “It wasn’t what I expected,” excuses truly fall flat. (Save them though, since they might be usable if you ever buy a can of paint without a label or, in doing so, find the colour to be Shocking Pink when you “expected” it to be Moss Green).The Handmaid’s Tale is brilliantly written and will, in my view, be a novel read (and reread) for a very long time.

Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" is a haunting masterpiece that delves into a dystopian world with poignant brilliance. Atwood's intricate narrative weaves a tapestry of oppression and resilience, forcing readers to confront societal reflections. The protagonist, Offred, becomes a symbol of defiance in a theocratic regime, challenging norms with quiet strength. The thought-provoking exploration of gender, power, and autonomy is both chilling and captivating. Atwood's prose is a literary marvel, leaving an indelible impression that lingers long after the last page is turned. This classic is an essential read, resonating with timeless relevance.

J'ai du le lire quand j'étais en licence d'anglais, livre de très bonne qualité.

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