The Handmaid's Tale-Questions, Questions

“Blessed be the fruit.”

That’s the accepted form of address among the Handmaids, but don’t worry, it’s just me trying to come up with a more appealing greeting, rather than a simple “hello there” (by the way, in case you are eager to know, the accepted response is: “May the lord open”). Anyways, in order complete my second daunting and formidable task, I ought to share some questions that have popped in my head whilst reading and have been bothering me ever since (well no, sorry not really).

So here we go:

To dear Mrs. Margaret Atwood, hoping that you will someday come across my humble blog and decide to release me from my agony of standing silently by, whereas a handful of question marks are persistently hovering over my head.

-          First of all, I would really like to know, whether your personal experiences in life had in any way contributed to your work. Is it because you experienced a sheltered and conservative upbringing first hand or got into contact with such people that you know the way they react to certain things and their perspectives on the society?

-          If not, then did you study theology or conducted an intensive research about the religions before establishing the rules in the society of Gilead, as their resemblance to the Sharia Laws cannot be overlooked ?

-          If they are based on the Sharia Laws, then do you think Islam is the religion, which has the highest tendency towards encouraging people in terrorist acts or rather are the Muslim people the ones, who can be convinced more easily to reject the distinct line which separates the religion from organization of society, education, etc. and thereby abandoning the idea of secularism?

-          Why do you think the women suffer the most under such religious regimes and are seen as second-class citizens?

-          Do you think it is morally rightful to take away someone’s freedom even if it’s the only left solution to resort in order to put an end to a conflict/problem?

-          And lastly, do you think it wise to associate these restrictions on women’s rights with the men’s desire to overpower women, such as in the incidents in Middle Ages, when women were accused for witchcraft and burnt?

Yours faithfully

w: 381