Author: Margaret Atwood
Year Published: 1985
Pages: 311
Genre: Dystopian Novel
Why did I never hear of this book in high school? Was it because I had my nose buried in the latest Stephen King horror? Probably. Not that there's ANYTHING wrong with that. I still love reading Stephen King. But speaking of horror, this tale offers plenty of it, especially if you're a woman. A tinge of fear and a sense of nausea struck while reading this book.
This is a first hand account told by the main character, Offred. We are drawn into her world in which she describes the physical and mental confines of where she lives so well that we can see and feel the horror of what she describes. We soon learn that she is one of the handmaids who lives in a fictional region of the United States named Gilead. This region of the country has been turned into a dystopian nightmare. The handmaids are kept as legal slaves who are forced to engage in a sexual ritual to produce children for the ruling men and their wives to whom they belong. And that's just part of the nightmare. No one who lives in Gilead is free. Every resident has a place, and the rules are broken under pain of death by public execution which the residents are forced to attend, and at times take part in.
If you haven't guessed by now, the Republic of Gilead is a totalitarian religious state, a military dictatorship. All words from signs have been removed and replaced with pictures. There are no books, no magazines, no tv (other than the programs that the handmaids are forced to watch with the purpose of brainwashing them). There is also a dress code. The handmaids all wear full-length red dresses and bonnets on their heads. Aside from not being permitted to read or write, they also are not permitted to speak with the exception of very few words. They're always afraid of being heard because there are wire taps and cameras everywhere, and there are also armed guards stationed at the door of every house and business.
The Republic came to be by overthrowing the United States Government. The new Republic society uses Old Testament ideas and implements them for its citizens. The role of the handmaids is taken from the Old Testament story of Rachel, where she had a handmaid who bore children for her and her husband. Just as in the Old Testament story, Rachel says to her husband, "...Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her" Genesis 30:1-3, King James Bible. The handmaids in the Republic of Gilead are forced to participate in a ceremony by physically laying with their backs on top of the ruling men's wives, while the ruling men rape the handmaids in an effort to produce children. Nauseated yet?
Other aspects of the Gileadean society are highly marked with Old Testament symbolism. Some of the women in Gilead who are not fertile, therefore not fit for producing children are Marthas, who are the housekeepers. Other women are Aunts, who I picture as Miss Trunchbull types, who indoctrinate the handmaids and also instruct them in how to be handmaids - or else. Women in Gilead have no rights, no freedom.
Throughout the story, Offred gives us flashbacks of her former life. She tells us about her child who was taken from her when she and her husband tried to escape from the regime. There are a few times when she contemplates suicide, but almost every possible means to do so have been removed.
The ending of the story leaves us with a mystery. I won't spoil the ending for you in case you haven't read it yet.
I highly recommend reading this book, especially for women of at least 18 years of age. It is not for the faint of heart due to the rape scenes in the book and also scenes that describe violent acts such as fatal beatings. The story was captivating from the first page. This wasn't a book that made me want to put it down and walk away. Just the opposite. I wanted to keep reading, and I did. There is a sequel to the book titled The Testaments. It was published in 2019. I haven't read it yet, but I definitely plan to do that. Of course, I'll post a review when that happens. Happy reading!
Buy the book here: https://amzn.to/3BFuBsk
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