The Handmaid's Tale is a futuristic dystopian novel written by
Margaret Atwood. It takes place in a near-future New England where the US
government has been overthrown and replaced by The Republic of Gilead, a
totalitarian and highly Christian influenced country. Due to the declining
birth-rate, the state has adopted a significantly traditional socio-economic
way of life.
The book is told in first-person by a handmaid called Offred.
Handmaids are women who have been assigned with the task of bearing children
for elite couples that have trouble conceiving. The names of the handmaids is
the prefix "Of" followed by their commander's name, this naming
structure allows the women to be seen as a possession and object, rather than
an individual with personality and character.
The society in which Offred lives in is practically constituted of
double standards related to class and most especially, gender. Women are categorised
hierarchically according to social class and reproductive capacity. At the top
of the pyramid is the Wives (women married to high-ranking officers), followed
by Daughters (the natural or adopted daughters of the ruling class), then the
Aunts (women who monitor and control the handmaids), Handmaids (women whose
social function is to bear children for elite infertile couples) and Marthas
(older women who are infertile and perform domestic duties) and finally the
Econowives (women who have married relatively low-ranking men.) Men however are
classified by military ranks/ terms, including Commanders of the Faithful
(high-ranking elite men, who’s duty is to procreate), Eyes (the secret police
force of Gilead), Angels (men who fight in Gilead’s wars) and Guardians of the
Faith (men who are used for routine policing and other menial functions.) In
addition to this, women are forbidden from reading, owning property, voting,
holding jobs or anything else that might give them independence, thereby
undermining their “usefulness” towards the state’s needs.
Although Gilead is totalitarian in structure, the book does not
present any characters who fully wholeheartedly believe in the prevalent procedures
and/or guidelines within society. Serena Joy, a minor antagonist of the book
and wife of the Commander, hints/ suggests that it is her husband that may be infertile,
despite Gileadean laws attribute sterility to only women (which is why she
arranges Offred to sleep with their chauffeur: Nick.)
True to its Christian background, things like alcohol, cigarettes,
pre-Gilead magazines (Vogue), pre-Gilead women’s attire, homosexuality etc. are
banned and are punishable by death. Ironically enough, despite the constant
motifs of conservativism (the handmaid’s outfits, the formal greetings, the
lack of leisure and hobbies etc.), Gilead is later in the novel revealed to
have a state-run brothel called Jezebel’s for high-ranking officials. The
brothel is run with the intention of adding variety to men’s sex lives which
the Commander claims, “is necessary.” Although the Jezebels (prostitutes) are
deemed as “illegitimate women” by society, they are given the freedom to
consume alcohol, drugs, wear makeup and socialise with their customers, which
Offred notes is somewhat of a freedom.
The language feature/ technique of flashback is used by Atwood to
provide stark contrasts between the societies of the USA and Gilead, thereby
provoking the audience to truly understand the desperateness and desolation of
the situation. Moira, a good friend of Offred’s and a once independent and
strong woman who stood up to the homophobia and authority of Gilead, eventually
ended up as a prostitute at Jezebel’s with a broken fighting spirit and a
resignation to her fate, providing an example on Gilead’s totalitarianism can
potentially crush even the most resilient and rebelling spirit.
Though The Handmaid’s Tale seems somewhat
ridiculous and absurd, given the issues in contemporary society and the division
of the global community, it’s becoming more likely than ever that Offred’s tale
will soon possibly become the future.
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