Novel Study Blog - The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood, is a dystopia. It is set in the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian dictatorship, with strong Christian beliefs. This Republic of Gilead replaced the United States of America after a nuclear war. During the time in which it was set, there still remained to be some radioactive territories.

Due to the devastating loss in population the war caused, the government decided to assign a handmaid to certain married partners. These handmaids sole purpose is to bear children. This novel is told from the perspective of one of the many handmaid’s whose name is Offred. All the handmaids in the novel have names beginning with “Of” and end in their commander’s name. By doing this, the handmaids are no longer a living thing and are only to be viewed as a man’s (commander’s) property.

Throughout the novel we see Offred having flashbacks to the time before the introduction of the regime. We learn she was married to a man named Nick who she had a baby girl with. Offred was separated with her family when the Republic took control. The novel shows Offred is desperate to find them as every time she passes “The Wall”, formerly a university changed into a prison with executed protesters hanging along the perimeter, she analyses the bodies to see if she can recognise Nick or her daughter’s body. The wall acts as a method of intimidation to ensure people don’t rebel. We learn however that Offred is always looking out for people who aren’t true believers meaning the Republic of Gilead contains people who are not in full support of the nation’s beliefs.

The Handmaid’s Tale explores the idea of women being viewed as nothing more than an object required to sexual reproduction. Since the governments focus is on reproduction women are classed based on their fertility. This process is dehumanising as the women’s views on how they are being treated is neither respected nor considered. This novel is a statement by Margaret Atwood for her fears for the direction humanity is taking and what might become of it in the near future.