The Handmaid's Tale-First Impressions

A Utopia or a Dystopia?

Being published in 1985, “The Handmaid’s Tale”-written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood-depicts a new era in the USA (now the Republic of Gilead), which is set in the near future, i.e. late 20^th century.  A country, governed by a totalitarian theocracy... In the name of creating a “utopian” world, the government overlooks one single flaw which is bound to occur in order to maintain the control over the system:  lack of freedom

In this world, women are divided into functions: Commander’s Wives, Marthas, and the Handmaids. Although their duties are not yet to be entirely revealed, one can always make assumptions. Commander’s Wives are those of the highest status, Marthas simply run the household and the Handmaids are merely comprehended as objects of reproductive purposes. Seeing that those carrying a baby are the ones who are envied the most, the reader comes to a conclusion, that the fertility rate is rather low and therefore has a significant value in the society.

The story is presented from a Handmaid’s point of view, whose name still remains a mystery to the reader. The language is typical of modernist literature characteristics: clear, sharp and at times ironic, however the style of writing is imprecise and reads as a long stream of consciousness. Although the Handmaid is trying to adjust herself to the new reality and accept it as “ordinary”, her flashbacks always seem to interfere and hold her back. Despite these constant interferences, she doesn’t do much to prevent them, since they serve as a reminder of her better life before the revolution, in which she had “freedom” and “choices”. They may also be seen as a source of hope for her, the hope of one day gaining her freedom once again and stripping herself from her blood-dipped uniform.

This new era bears a striking resemblance to Middle Ages, showing a renewed interest in the morals and the etiquette of those days, such as valuing women only if they succeed in giving birth to a child. However this is not the sole likeness, the reader can notice while reading. The moral code’s association with the Sharia Laws is unlikely to be missed. According to these laws women have to cover their bodies and hair, and are not permitted to look men in the eye. They’d rather “look down at the sidewalk”, “not the eyes”.

 Also, in chapter 4, we are presented with some examples about the behaviour that women have to follow, for instance we learn that women have to be humble and obedient, since “modesty is invisibility”, they “should never forget it” because “to be seen...is to be penetrated.”

The fact that the Republic of Gilead and the countries that existed during the Middle Ages are alike in so many ways, plants the first seeds of concern in our minds. As we read, we observe how easy it actually is to make people abandon their commonsense and good judgement, as a result paving the way for a narrow-minded generation. Being caught in the middle of people mindlessly following the footsteps of a religious dictator, even dissidents eventually accept the retrogressive ideologies, which were either gradually implanted in their minds or enforced on them, as their own. However, if people are that ready to jump on/accept such ideologies, then that means we are at constant danger, for all we know a man with a huge bushy beard and a strong voice may appear one day, claiming that the current system is against God’s very commands. Is that all it would take to drag along millions of people behind an autocrat, who believes he’s the next prophet?

All these key examples create a more realistic and credible image of “the new world”. Thus, on each page, we feel the cold and chilling breath of the writer, reminding us, that this is also likely to happen in the world we live in today. A warning. 

For the film adaptation (1990):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWQ4xnyLy1U

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