The Handmaid’s Tale is really one of those must-read books, even I know that… which really begs the question ‘why haven’t I read it, despite owning it?’
Atwood’s novel is widely praised and acknowledged as a great dystopian read set within a second American Civil War. It has a clear focus on the role and position of women, as the novel revolves around the enslavement and rape of the few fertile women that remain — the Handmaids, as they are known — to bear children for the new regime’s commanders.
The story itself appears to be told from the perspective of one of the Handmaid’s, Offred, as she tries to cling to everything she once had: a husband, a child of her, freedom and a life to life, in addition to her real name. Sounds horrific, and that is clearly the point of this novel, to make people understand how feeble our freedom is when placed in the hands of totalitarian leaders.
I have seen a few reviews referring to The Handmaid’s Tale as a pro-feminist novel, but I don’t register it as that based on an external view. It seems more akin to a venomous satire of men, war, and society, rather than a pro-woman piece. I suppose that feminist side arises from the display of a sadistic, monstrous patriarchy, but I still think it is more nuanced than ‘look at what men could do to women in the future!’
Still, I have yet to read it, but it certainly seems interesting. Moreover, it is not overly long (~330 pages), and it is a defining piece of modern dystopian literature, so there’s a good reason for me to get around to reading it sometime soon.
I would urge anyone not familiar with The Handmaid’s Tale to look into it, especially if you like bleak depictions of our future world, or just have a taste for darker fiction.
Leave a Reply