The
Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood has many powerful
messages. One of the main themes presented in the story is that governments use
women’s bodies to make political decisions. Because of Gilead’s declining birth
rate, the government makes the decision to strip away all of women’s power and
use them solely as reproductive beings to raise the birth rate. This theme relates
to current day society as well. Like I mentioned in my third blog post, this
novel exaggerates issues that exist in the today’s world. These connections
between the two societies force readers to think about the policies and
societal norms that benefit us and those that harm us. Today, the government
makes political decisions about women’s bodies including laws about health care’s
birth control coverage as well as rights about whether or not a woman can make
the decision to get an abortion. Another theme that I saw emerge is the idea that
abusive power trickles down in society. Similar to Hitler’s rule, in The Handmaid’s Tale, the people with the
most power are not the only ones acting abusively. Complacency is a major issue;
the Handmaids do not stand up for themselves or attempt to retaliate. Even
worse, the women with a little bit of power, such as the Commander’s wife
Serena, do not stand up to help the abused women. Serena became a part of the
tyrannical social structure and abuses the women who have a low societal rank.
This shows that when a government abuses its people, the abuse has a domino
effect, changing the morals of many involved parties. This theme became evident
to me later in the book. When I started reading, I was mainly upset at the
people with the most power, but then I began to realize that there are many
people to blame.
Through my reading, I
tried to use the close reading techniques described by Nabokov, Prose, and
Foster. Nabokov teaches us that it is important to view the world of the story
as its own world, separate from the world in which we live. I used this technique
to immerse myself in the story. Later, I analyzed similarities between our
society and the story’s society, but while I read, I remained present in the
text. I also used Foster’s strategy of not reading with my own eyes, but from
the eyes of the characters within the context of their society. I tried to refrain
from vilifying characters such as Serena, who from my own perspective, seems
like a horrible woman. However, from the context of her society, her actions are
expected. When one of the Handmaid’s has a baby, which Serena takes, she “looks
down at the baby as if it’s a bouquet of flowers: something she’s won, a
tribute”(126). This seems like a distorted reaction from my perspective, but in
Gilead, this attitude towards birth is typical. I’ve also applied Prose’s
lesson of paying attention to the language and analyzing the text word-by-word to
my reading of The Handmaid’s Tale. For
example, at the story’s end, as the government takes Offred away in a van,
Atwood writes, “The two of them… take me by the elbow to help me in. Whether
this is my end or a new beginning I have no way of knowing: I have given myself
over into the hands of strangers, because it can’t be helped”(295). Paying
close attention to language, I notice the use of the word “help” in opposing
ways. She uses “help” in a positive context as they aid her when entering the
van. She also uses it in a negative context because she has no control over the
situation. I think that these differing uses of the word show Offred’s internal
conflict and uncertainty as she enters a new chapter of her life.
I highly recommend this
book to any teen or adult reader, male or female. I think that this is an important
book for women to read because it reminds us that we need to stand up for
ourselves and maintain control over our bodies. It sends a message that women should
be aware of the injustice surrounding our sexual political rights, but also the
unspoken laws surrounding sex, such as the double standard that I mentioned in
my third blog post. I also think that this is an important book for men to read
because it would open their eyes to the injustice that women often face in
society and might remind them to view women as equals and treat them and their
bodies with respect. This is a book that prompts serious thought about the role
of government and gender in everyday life. It is also beautifully-written with
poetic language and a writing style unlike any story I’ve read before. Atwood
uses flashbacks throughout the story to tie Ofred’s past to the woman she has
become in the present. Not only is the novel well-written stylistically speaking,
but it also has an intense plot that keeps readers on their toes. I thoroughly
enjoyed it and plan on reading more books by Atwood in the future. I’m thinking
of reading Cat’s Eye next!
Overall I thought this blog was really great. I was able to fully understand each post without having the story spoiled for me. It seems like a fascinating concept for a novel. I think the points made in the third blog post were totally on point and pertinent even in today's society. I was able to draw a few parallels between this book and the one I was reading, East of Eden by John Steinbeck. In East of Eden there is a really interesting situation with gender roles. The town of Salinas, California, in which the main characters live, has several whorehouses, which are acknowledged and grudgingly accepted by the whole town. I found this to be really interesting because the whores in the story were treated with respect and they often held power, whereas in Natalie's novel, women who weren't even prostitutes found themselves utterly degraded by their society.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I found interesting was the mention of Adam and Eve in the third blog post. East of Eden centers largely around the story of Adam and Eve, and many of its characters seem to play out the story. Through a feminist lens, the story of Adam and Eve takes on a much different meaning. In many ways it is largely condemning toward women, marking them as the evil or lesser sex. I think that applies to both my and Natalie's books. In Natalie's, women are commodities and viewed solely as vessels for children, thus making them "lesser" than men. In East of Eden, almost all of the important characters are men. The most powerful female character is portrayed as inhuman and monstrous. I find it interesting that both of our books contain connections to the story of Adam and Eve.