Handmaid's Tale

I have really enjoyed reading this novel by Margaret Atwood, and while the subject matter is something we hope never to have to experience, the themes are present in our own society today, though in a much less extreme fashion. This world of Gilead is one in which women are not women, they are merely walking fertility banks, only valued if their ovaries are functional and fertile. And even being "valued" in this society still means being a commodity. "A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze," this quote exemplifies the false sense of freedom that these handmaid's have. They are told how lucky they are, and how sacred they are but none of this is actually held true. Any shred of so called freedom is expressed by the superiors of this rigid society as an immense gift and priviledge. Part of what I love about this book is how Atwood parallels this very strict, linear, and caste system with a structure that is very free and a bit all over the place. It allows for a sort of chaos among the uniformity. Offred jumps back and forth between present circumstances and anecdotes of the past with no warning. But I like to allow her this freedom, this freedom of the mind, the only freedom she is allowed, the only thing that she, and only she, is in control of. This "jumpy" format is the only way in which I think Offred can stay somewhat sane, she needs to be able to cope with her present, horrible situation by any means possible. In today's society there are many "restricted freedoms", which seems oxymoronic but is just reality. We are told that we have freedom of this, freedom of that but nothing is without regulation and guidelines. There is no free freedom. There is always going to be a line that can't be crossed or a rule that can't be broken, and therefore we will always be, atleast minorly, controlled by the authority of our soceity. Like Offred, I don't know if I or anyone really will ever experience bound-less freedom in which there are no forces holding me down or back.

The Limit of Pleasures

Up to this point I have really enjoyed Atwood's novel. I think she is a brilliant writer, her word's filled with the perfect amount of dry truth and satirical humor.

"A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze." This sentence holds true not only in the book but for our lives today. In the book, the Handmaid's have have little or no freedom. Offred is offered only tiny glimpses of freedom, mostly when she is alone with the Commander, playing scrabble or reading books. Yet, everything else in the system is laid out. There are limits on religion, clothing, shopping-really everything is chosen for them based on their role in the new society.

What I enjoy most however is exploring the way the new society really is better. In the past there was no reign and very few limits, very similar to today. There was racy pornography, plastic surgery, and makeup galore to cover up and hide the truth, to make the world a little more attractive. Like in the old pornographies the handmaidens watched, many woman were disrespected.

"I'm not talking about sex, he says. That was part of it, the sex was too easy. Anyone could just buy it. There was nothing to work for, nothing to fight for. We have the stats from that time. You know they were complaining about the most? Inability to feel." I think this quote is very true for today. Sex, while once a special and worshiped thing has now turned into something amazingly casual and normal! High school kids take it as something fun to do on weekends, tv shows blare it across the screen, it can be found in any popular new movie and songs use lyrics so uncensored it's almost embarrassing; the intimacy of sex is completely gone. While once there was an act of courting, now drunken one night stands are accepted as normal. There used to be a point in sex, not simply for pleasure, but for childbearing and expressing love. "Saved by childbearing, I think. What would save us in the time before?" This is a very legitimate question, what does save us? We still have money to make but, "It's not enough, he says. It's too abstract. I mean there was nothing for [the men] to do with women.

It's true, it is hard to find pleasure in an act that has now become so open. In the new society even the Commander watching Offred read was a "curiously sexual act." Scrabble became sexual, short eye contact with Nick through the window expressed "the same kind of hunger", even gardening became extremely sexual. "Goddesses are possible now and the air suffuses with desire."

As Aunt Lydia says, "In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don't underrate it." What I wonder is will our society ever reach a point where we are given too much sexual freedom to? Will we ever retreat back into the days of courtship and freedom from?

Whyy

Everything has a price. Especially freedom, ironically. Nothing can be gained without sacrificing something else. This seems to be the way of things. So my freedom, yes, is exceptionally limited. In this country we're given the glossy-shiny 'power to choose', which draws us in, convinces us. But there are more manipulations behind the cover that very few can perceive, and even fewer orchestrate. My freedom has bounds.

Offred has no freedom at all really. There are glimpses, tastes of it; but for her it does not exist. Slowly, she is becoming aware of avenues of power. Ways in which she can manipulate the system. We shall see if she can escape, and what that means, where it brings her.

I think my biggest issue with the novel is that I can't believe the system that is now in place. To what end is this freaky sex triangle fertility weirdness thingy? It's almost hinting that the theme of the novel is love. Which I think would be tragically clichéd or something. Somehow that would disappointing. Seems like the author has very twisted concepts of intimacy and procreation. What exactly is she criticizing (satirizing) here? Religion? Sexuality? Modern Society & Women? Also she is sometimes confusing.

The Handmaid's Tale

This novel is very interesting, i'm not sure if its because of the sex or the screwed up role that the Commander plays, but I find this book to be a good read so far. One scene that really stuck out to me was when Offred was laying on Serena Joy's "pubic bone" and the Commander who happens to be married to Serena Joy! This scene was so graphic and crazy and so screwed up. In the perfect world everyone would get the chance to have a healthy baby of their own and be happy with their husbands that are faithful to them but in reality thats rarely the case. I can relate this to my own life in a sense, but of course its not as intense as this but it just reminds me of the situation. So I had this boyfriend last year and everything was on good terms... I thought, I guess things weren't right in his mind so he decided to go behind my back and screw one of my best friends at the time. Earlier this day we had gotten into a slight tiff and of course being a girl I went to one of my "best friends" so to speak and depended on her to support me and be there for me. She helped me feel better and made me believe that he was a complete jerk, later that night when I was no longer with that friend, and I was over the situation and seemed to be doing just fine, that "best friend" went and fucked my boyfriend behind my back. She nor he had the guts to tell me to my face which is always the case because there are some really shallow and fake people in this world, so I had to find out from a fellow class mate.

This situation reminded me on Offred and Serena Joy because it talks about them being "friends" but then hating each other. I see the things that the commander does and its so wrong! Guys need respect for them selves and respect for women. Women are prize possessions no matter what people say or what stereo type are formed. And when men lie to us to make us believe what they want it screws with our head and leaves us hanging in the long run. So I feel really bad for the women in this book, because all the different task they have to preform all seem to be awful in the end.

sorry if i went off on the wrong topic this is just what this scene reminded me of

Feminism

My fascination with this book lies mainly in the rigidness of the society: the society's abundance of rules, and the overall lack of individuality. Women of the Republic of Gilead- the so called "rat maze"- aren't valued for personal character, but for their ability to reproduce. Atwood's novel is essentially a feminist overexageration on the conflicts of (then) modern society.

From news briefs, and television clips mentioned throughout the novel, you learn that islamic terrorists had essentially taken over the United States. The Republic of Gilead is an Americanized take on a women's place in modern Muslim society. You can see definite similarities (the all-covering wardrobe, leaving nearly no skin to the eye, the seperation between men and women, men being of a higher level, etc). Rape is controversial, especially when the women scold Janine for being raped (a fate that she entirely did not choose). Atwood wants to conjure strong emotions in her female readers, make them hate the society of Gilead, and therefore, empower readers to fight.

The Handmaids Tale- in particular the quote on page 163- is a feminist take on what a women's role in society may develop into (if taken to an extreme, of course).

Continuing with feminism....it's interesting to look at this idea of freedom through women in society today. Women are, in fact, jumping ahead: higher enrollement in colleges, higher test scores, earning more college degrees than men etc.... The Handmaids Tale may have been Atwood's prediction of things to come, but it seems (at least in our part of the globe) that women are proving to be the opposite of " the handmaid."The novel is ironic in that, we are proving elements in this book wrong (at least so far) as we become the new leading gender.

slow start... good ending?

I don’t dislike the book itself, it is a good idea and rightfully earns every praise it gets. However I feel as though the book is not GOING anywhere new. Its true that you learn new pieces of information the more you read on, but I feel as though it is just an illusion meant to keep the reader interested. Maybe it’s because I read only high action/adventure books and am used to the plot and storyline moving to different people and settings every few chapters. The “confined” sense that this book has makes it very hard for me to believe that something new and exciting is going to happen. It feels as though the book is just going to keep plodding on in the same ol’ depressing manner. I would like to think that Offred will become free and live happily ever after and life will go back to the “time before” but I just don’t see it. In plain English, this is just not my type of book. And just as the quote “a rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays in the maze” amplifies; Offred lives the same patterns almost every day, and since the books follows the handmaids it is also trapped in that same repetitive maze. As I said, I like the idea of a story set in the dystopia future, however it would have been more to my liking if it had been unfolded in a more interesting way.

Now, as to how the “Rat in a maze…” quote applies to my life, I feel as though that is how all life is lived, that is, with a false sense of freedom. Think of it this way. Every week day I wake up at 6:00 A.M., eat breakfast, go for a run, shower, go to school, eat lunch, more school, go to cross country practice, go home, do homework, eat dinner, homework, and go to bed. However I am always looking forward to the weekend when I can have “freedom” to do as I please. But really is it total freedom? If I decide to drive somewhere I can only drive so far, if I decide to go hiking I can not go too far from home, if I decide to got to a friends house I have to “clear” it with my mother. In all honesty, my ‘freedom’ only extends as far as my parents and the government allow. And just so the majority of the population does not recognize this, the government decided to allow you to get a drivers license at 16, vote and smoke at 18, drink at 21, and so on. This keeps the people looking forward to what will be allowed instead of looking at what is currently regulating them. It could be said that we are all “rats in a maze.”

I will keep reading the book in the hopes that it will get better and the ending will make up for a slow start. I hope I am not disappointed….

Blog response: Handmaid's tale

“A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze.”

This quote reflects a form of “limited” freedom. They say that people may in a sense do whatever they want, as long as they are monitored. There are many other cases in which we see this phenomenon. School is the most evident example. As students, we are given the capacity to pick our own classes, play sports, etc, but we are forced to do all of these things under the supervision and monitor of teachers and associates. We cannot wear the clothes we want, leave school without permission, or really have any first amendment rights without violating school codes. Although we do have many rights and abilities outside of school, we are limited to what we can do under the influence of an academic atmosphere.

Questions and thoughts about the book:

· I’m interested to see how many tries it will take for Offred to get pregnant

· Will the Scrabble and creepiness with the Commander continue, or will Serena find out and have Offred sent away or hurt?

· Will Luke show up?

· Where is Offred’s daughter, is she alive?

· It’s still unclear to me who exactly Rita and Cora are

· How many times will Offred sneak off with the Commander before she is detected?