The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Environmental catastrophes and dwindling birthrates have sparked a Second American Civil War in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian future. The Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian government that imposes rigid social roles and enslaves the few remaining reproductive women, rises as a result. One of these is Offred, a Handmaid compelled to bear children for a commander of Gilead. Offred clings to her memories and her determination to live despite losing her husband, her kid, her freedom, and even her own name. The Handmaid’s Tale is a contemporary masterpiece that excels at being both a biting satire and a narrative suspense tour de force at the same time.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
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The dystopian future depicted in Margaret Atwood’s book The Handmaid’s Tale is one in which many people are held as slaves and fertile women are made to bear children against their will in a nation ruled by religious extremist men. These women were referred to as “handmaids.” The narrative mostly centres on a handmaid by the name of June and her survivalist efforts in The Republic of Gilead. Despite the fact that the Commanders were a contributing factor in the dissolution of her family and the loss of the life she had prior to Gilead, she endures emotional and physical torture while she fulfils her “biological obligation” of having children in order to establish a family for Commanders. She has started to give up hope of ever seeing her family again because she does not know where they are.
Offred, formerly known as June, is compelled to abide by the law in order to protect herself. Her perspective on the world and her intentions change as she learns more of Gilead’s flaws. Some of the world before Gilead, the one she is familiar with and yearns for, may still be found among the commanders. In fact, she discovers that her daughter is still alive. She now is aware that there are others like her who are battling for freedom and destroying Gilead and its founders thanks to Mayday…
Offred, the main character—literally, Fred, called after the Commander she serves—is the ideal combination of both weakness and strength. She describes her past and observes, “When we think of the past, the beautiful things are what we choose to remember. We want to think that’s how everything was. But she lives an ugly existence. Atwood also blurs the lines between the present and the past, switching back and forth in a way that makes you want to read more. Offred desires more, too. Just as we all aspire to greater things for both ourselves and the female generations that follow.
