The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
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Book Reviews of The Handmaid's Tale
Book Review: creative, pithy novel with lots of commentary
Summary: 5 Stars
First, my disclaimer: I had to read this for my high school English class. I was one of the few who loved it (I will say that the like/dislike did seem to come down gender lines) as many just thought it was a flat-out weird and pro-choice novel.
The Handmaid's Tale is a heavy social commentary in a hijacked USA, where *everything in this society is justified on Bibical premises*. It is a harsh look at the religious right, and even more meaningful in this age, where evangelicals grow in numbers daily. Offred has lost her name, but she is one of several Handmaids who have been "Of Fred," the Commander. In this society, she has a plum role--as long as she can reproduce, she has bread, food, regular health checkups. The most haunting part of her story is the loss of her husband and daughter, both of whom she dwells on constantly. One of my particular favorite characters was the rebellious Moira, who escapes the Center to become an underground prostitute. She, too, is guided by very strict sanctions--punishments for gaining weight, etc.
I would recommend reading some background information after reading this book--my English teacher gave us a packet discussing the Bibical background ("children of Ham," the Rachel/Leigh story, all the shops which have names derived from Bibical verses) of the story, as well as the stark changes in diction and detail when Offred goes on touchy, personal subjects, or when she's scared, or just weaving her background. I wouldn't say this story is anti-Christian (no Christian values are in evidence here) so much as anti-oppression. Most of the verses which support this society are grounded in Old Testament roots. It is a very feminist novel. Atwood describes Offred's life before the revolution--where she did have worries such as her job, being raped, walking on the streets alone--to her life after the revolution. However, she has to pay for her "protection." Atwood goes on an interesting tangent about "freedom from" and "freedom to." The Handmaid's Tale is a wonderful novel about the somewhat tenuous role of women in today's society.
I must praise Atwood for one of my favorite parts of the novel--the Historical Notes, at the end. Through the Historical Notes, I was able to plot out and calculate a some semblance of a chronological timeline (Offred marries--has daughter--revolution--and post-revolution) in years. The use of The Historical Notes are absolutely amazing, and add several layers to the book's texture.
Book Review: an example of religious extremism in a futuristic world
Summary: 5 Stars
I found The Handmaid's Tale to be a dark and mysterious novel, with many references to imminent societal problems. Interest is piqued with an end almost equally as mysterious as its entire content. Atwood creates and portrays an all too possible future, which she based on the political actions taking place in the mid 1980's, when religious rights began pressing into politics.
Margaret Atwood's writing style emphasizes the pressing issues laid before in a feasible future for the United States. The use of first person enables the reader to become acquainted with the main character, Offred, and her surroundings. Her feelings are bared only to the reader, allowing for them to make a real connection with her situation. Atwood also uses very "real" diction, encompassing many aspects used in everyday speech. This everyday dialect permits the reader to better understand Offred's daily struggle with society.
Atwood's style is what made me really enjoy reading this book. I felt as though I could truly relate to the bravery, intelligence and boldness of Offred while she secretly holds on to her memories. Day after day she resists all temptations and the world that has become her reality. The oppression against women, even though The Handmaid's Tale is most definitely based in a woman's world, cements my respect for the valor and defiance of Offred. Religious ideology invades the social structure, creating an even more distinct extremist culture where, although the power and regard for women is undeniable, men are the dominant gender. Offred's account is one of true beauty and strength in an emotionless and sexist society.
Although The Handmaid's Tale is an example of an extreme situation, many areas in the modern world are showing similar ideals. Some Islamic societies and African cultures have oppressed the rights of their women, allowing the men to dominate while other countries have great difficulty separating the church and the state. Parts of the future presented in The Handmaid's Tale are already represented in modern societies, and are possible future problems for all.
I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a break from the naïve and mindless chick-lit of today. It encompasses dark and pressing issues, with a most fitting ending allowing for hope. Atwood's inspiring novel is truly a literary work of genius about love, the struggle of an oppressed life, and a society of all trust with no questioning.
Book Review: Brilliant, engaging, chilling, still so very relevant
Summary: 5 Stars
Back in the late 1980's, I read that Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale produced differing reactions in different countries. In Great Britain, the reaction was "Ripping good tale," in Canada, it was "Could that happen here?" and in the United States, it was "How long have we got?"
I remember seeing the paperback adjacent to the checkstand at the supermarket for several months before I picked it up and read the blurb on the back cover. I had no idea that the novel painted a picture of what the United States of America might become if fundamentalist Christians took over the government, but that is exactly what the novel does. It is both a fascinating and frightening picture. It was my first experience of Atwood's writing and I'm happy to report that, having read more of her work, she's an excellent writer. Her prose is clear, concise and engaging. Reading one sentence made me want to read the next and her books are very difficult to put down. In this particular case, the plot is brilliantly conceived as is the entire premise of the book.
18 years have elapsed since publication, and the chilling picture she painted is still every bit as chilling as it was, perhaps even more so because politicians have been capitulating to the "religious right" more and more.
I highly recommend his novel. It's one of the most important works of fiction written during my lifetime that I've encountered. It's also one of the most readable and engaging books I've read.
Because Margaret Atwood is a Canadian, I think her viewpoint enabled her to postulate a fictional future for the United States that a U.S. citizen might not have been able to see. Robert Heinlein once wrote a short novel called If This Goes On which reminds me in many ways of The Handmaid's Tale, but it didn't have the scope or the relevance of Atwood's novel nor did the author have the same motivation stemming from the present political reality.
Don't bother with the film adaptation, by the way. The movie so dilutes the story conveyed in the book - it is subjected to inexplicable changes that render it comparatively insipid - that it is not worth the viewing time. If you do watch the movie version, do yourself a favor and read the book first so you will know what's been omitted and what's been altered.
Atwood gets my highest rating for The Handmaid's Tale.
Book Review: Handmaid's Tale
Summary: 5 Stars
In Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood warns us against a futuristic dystopia. Women are given no privileges whatsoever and are unable to ever improve themselves, punished if they ever set their eyes on any words. The government assigns them three roles, and three roles only; all of the roles are harsh, but the worst of them all would be the handmaids. Handmaids are only there to fulfill what the wives are incapable of doing- to have children. They cannot choose their position, thus they have to sacrifice not only love but their dignity as well.
Atwood's novel is captivating, demonstrating the detrimental effects of human faults in our society today. She expresses her views on feminism and antifeminism through Offred's point of view. By doing so, the reader is able to comprehend the atrocity that handmaids have to endure, such as the fear of not becoming pregnant after the monthly ceremonies. They can relate to the life that she used to have with her undying love for Luke and her daughter, and visualize the horrors of her present. Atwood also utilizes many descriptive images to heighten the effect of the government's oppression against the people of the society. Everything of the future begins to seem gloomy and dreary with the Unwomen's jobs and the hatred that people have for one another. Everything is dull with nothing for anyone to do, except wait or work according to their given roles.
By exaggerating the horrible outcome of our society today, Atwood stirs fear into her readers, which works quite effectively since people constantly question and stress over their actions in life. She offers to her readers a perspective that they have not even bothered to think up of yet, making them worry and think of different methods that they can achieve to prevent this from happening which was one of her main intentions of writing this piece.
This novel is brilliantly written, and the plot is interesting and out of the ordinary. It takes a lot of skill and talent to be able to create a whole different world, and she definitely possesses those characteristics. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Although it may be awkward to hear of such a disfigured society in the very beginning, the feeling subsides and only cautiousness and fear remains at the very end, which demonstrates how great of an impact Handmaid's Tale has on its readers.
Book Review: What if this really happens?
Summary: 5 Stars
The Handmaid's Tale - by Margaret AtwoodTHE HANDMAID'S TALE is a frightening look at a not too distant future where sterility is the norm, and fertile woman are treated as cattle, to produce children for the upper class who cannot have any. The narrator Offred, as she is called in her new life, is the Handmaid for a top Commander in the new government. Once a month she is tested by a gynecologist to ensure that she is healthy, and then is taken to the Commander and his wife in the hopes of becoming pregnant.
Offred, along with the other handmaid's, are not allowed to look directly at anyone else. They all wear the same outfits; red long dresses and headgear that cover their bodies. They live together, spend most of their time together, and are taken care of, in the hopes that they will produce children for this barren society. In this society, most women are not allowed to read, and are treated as if they have no minds. The government dictates their role in society. If they disobey, they are punished severely.
Offred's memories often go back to a time when she was happily married to Luke, and with their daughter they were looking forward to a long and happy life together. Things changed when a military group took over the government, and immediately their lives as they knew it were over. Women lost all rights to ownership; bank accounts were frozen, land was taken away; fertile women were taken away from their husbands and families. A handful of older women were made into `Aunts', and their duties were to instruct and guide the handmaids, reminding them of their role on this earth, which is to procreate.
I have to say that my feelings during this book were of shock. In some sense, what has happened in this book has already happened in other parts of the world and can happen again. The control over women is very much like that of the women in Afghanistan. The control over religious choice brings to mind Nazi Germany, as one of the issues in the Handmaid's Tale is the elimination of anyone that refuses to be as one with the new government - religious persecution is justified and encouraged.
The Handmaid's Tale is a horrifying story of a government fully in control of each person's life and totally out of control. The book was so riveting that it took me only one day to read. I highly recommend this novel.