Manuela Bastos

BOOK REPORT II
CULTURA DE LA LENGUA INGLESA
THE HANDMAID’S TALE
MARGARET ATWOOD

The US Supreme Court’s overruling of the constitutional right to abortion just took place
last week, and it is based on principles of Christianity, the same ones that could
potentially lead to a society like the one depicted in Margaret Atwood’s The
Handmaid’s Tale. This book falls into what Atwood calls “speculative fiction,” a genre
that takes elements from the current reality and, based on them, creates a story about
what could happen in the future. The Handmaid’s Tale follows Offred, a woman victim
of a patriarchal regime in which she only serves the purpose of procreation. Through
her we see how those impositions affect both her and the rest of the characters.
Atwood’s writing is powerful and stirring, and the few mysteries left to the reader’s
imagination do not take away from its impact. To my mind, the novel is an excellent
cautionary tale about the dangers of both religion and patriarchy.

To begin with, as I said before, the story is set in the Republic of Gilead, a patriarchal
regime that prioritizes its longevity by subjecting fertile women to reproduce. Women
that are older or do not have the capacity to have children can either marry a
Commander, do housework or be sent out to the “Colonies,” where they will most likely
die due to exposure to radiation. Except for the last group, the rest have their distinctive
clothing color, which very clearly dehumanizes them and reduces them to the function
they are to provide for men. They are prohibited from reading, writing, and
communicating with one another. I think the practices of the regime give light to some
of —definitely not all— the pressures put on women: the pressure to act proper, to
marry, to have children, to cook well, to be a good wife. Leading life this way to Offred
causes extreme boredom and solitude and gives her plenty of time to think, which is, I
believe, one of her most powerful qualities, as she says it: “Sanity valuable possession;
I hoard it the way people once hoarded money. I save it, so I will have enough, when
the time comes.” Of course, when the time does come, and she sees herself giving in
to her desire for human connection, she says the opposite “I would like to be ignorant.
Then I would not know how ignorant I was.” After this, she is taken by the eerie vehicle
driven by the ones in power, and the reader is left wondering what happened to her.
While the abrupt ending is frustrating, it fits with the story since the Handmaids all live
similar lives, they all transgress the rules in similar ways and, assuming Offred
escaped, they would not have a way to know what happened to her.

Another aspect of the novel that leaves the reader hanging is the historical background
of the republic of Gilead. The book famously ends with the phrase “Are there any
questions?” Personally, I had a lot of them. First, how does a regime of such power
emerge from a society seemingly interested in women's issues? And at that, how does
it do so that quickly? According to Offred, the regime has been in power for
approximately ten years. Before that, she was a student at university; she could wear
and do what she pleased; her mother was a feminist, and so was her friend Moira. I
wonder how such a change can happen that fast. If there is an explanation, it is
omitted, only isolated events are mentioned; the suspension of the constitution,
women’s bank accounts being frozen, and people taking away Offred’s daughter. This
uncertainty does not deter me in liking this book, in fact, it makes me appreciate it even
more. On the one hand, it was one of the factors that prompted me to finish it despite
the monotone plot, as I remained in search of answers to the questions mentioned
above. On the other hand, at the end of the day, the novel is supposed to be Offred’s
collection of events that led to her leaving her Commander’s house as they happened
to her. It does not allow for a historical overview, given that the narrator assumes the
background. In reality, this novel attempts to highlight what is not clearly visible, such
as the struggle and the emptiness caused by such an awful situation.

Atwood gives this narrator a compelling and emotive tone. Towards the second half of
the novel, the writing becomes repetitive and predictable, yet to me, it is indicative of
the character’s monotone life and what the writing is supposed to be representing.
Offred is stuck in an imposed routine with no escape or entertainment except for her
own mind, which frames her way of thinking, too, even though she may not want it. At
some point in the novel, I expected her short, powerful sentences that spoke about the
past, her best friend Moira, her solitude or her sadness. For instance, after reminiscing
moments with her mother, Offred concludes: “I want her back. I want everything back,
the way it was. But there is no point to it, this wanting.” In light of the story being a
compilation of spoken words on tape, I figure some of these observations can
somehow be tiny afterthoughts prompted by some perspective or self-reflection. Yet
another feature of the writing that can also be exemplified with the previous quote is a
kind of emptiness that also characterizes Offred’s life. Since there are a lot of pauses, it
gives momentum to the sentences and I felt compelled to think over them, they sank
lower than they normally would. This mirrors Offred’s life, it has become void of the
things and people she loves and it is paused until she is required by any of the
characters in a higher position. This was done excellently throughout the novel. I was
personally more moved by it than some of the more impactful scenes, such as the
ceremony where she is forced to have sex with her Commander or when she sees the
hanged bodies at the Wall.

To conclude, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. Its short and thematic chapter form made
it easy to follow and get lost in the writing. And again, I appreciate the moments of self-
reflection and insight into Offred’s mind, which I think is its strongest aspect. Though
the main character is not at what some may consider the center of political tension,
which would make the novel much more “eventful,” I believe that a story like Offred’s is
sometimes also needed. She is part of the most miserable group in the Gileadean
society; therefore, her struggles are not easily visible. Though The Handmaid’s Tale is
a very small cut of her life, Offred gives us some perspective as to the degree to which
the system is damaging its people. Moreover, in my interpretation, Atwood’s objective
as she writes “speculative fiction” is to look at things from afar. Perspective is what will
help us see that there are already things like this happening, either in some other part
of the world or around us, in a more subtle, discreet way.