The Handmaid's Tale
Book - 2019
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Opinion
From Library Staff
From Library Staff
A Parent in Toronto complained about this novels use of "profane language" and anti-christian overtones among themes of violence and "sexual degradation". In 2009 the Toronto District School board recommended that the novel be kept in the curricula for grades 11 and 12.
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Quotes
Add a QuotePg. 463
Humanity is so adaptable, my Mother would say. Truly amazing, what people can get used to, as long as there are a few compensations.
Pg. 411
"Well officially," he says. "But everyone's human, after all."
I wait for him to elaborate on this, but he doesn't, so I say, "What does that mean?"
"It means you can't cheat Nature," he says. "Nature demands variety, for men. It stands to reason, it's part of the procreational strategy. It's Nature's plan." I don't say anything, so he goes on. "Women know that instinctively. Why did they buy so many different clothes, in the old days? To trick the men into thinking they were several different women. A new one each day."
"So now that we don't have different clothes," I say, "you merely have different women." This is irony , but he doesn't acknowledge it.
"It solves a lot of problems," he says, without a twitch.
Pg. 392
With that man you wanted it to work, to work out. Working out was also something you did to keep your body in shape, for the man. If you worked out enough, maybe the man would too. Maybe you would be able to work it out together, as if the two of you were a puzzle that could be solved; otherwise, one of you, most likely the man, would go wandering off on a trajectory of his own, taking his addictive body with him and leaving you with bad withdrawal, which you could counteract by exercise.
If you don't like it, change it, we said, to each other and to ourselves. and so we would change the man, for another one. Change, we were sure, was for the better always. We were revisionists; what we revised was ourselves.
Pg. 391
The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting, always for the incarnation. That word, made flesh.
And sometimes it happened, for a time. That kind of love comes and goes and is hard to remember afterwards, like pain. You would think, I loved you, and the tense would be past, and you would be filled with a sense of wonder, because it was such an amazing and precarious and dumb thing to have done; and you would know too why your friends had been evasive about it, at the time.
Pg. 380
We've given them more than we've taken away, said the Commander. Think of the trouble they had before. Don't you remember the singles' bars, the indignity of high school blind dates? The meat market. Don't you remember the terrible gap between the ones who could get a man easily and the ones who couldn't? Some of them were desperate, they starved themselves think of pumped their breasts full of silicone, had their noses cut off. Think of the human misery.
Pg. 366
Better never means better for everyone, he (The Commander) says. It always means worse, for some.
Pg. 338
But she (Aunt Lydia) knew too the spiritual value of bodily rigidity, of muscle strain: a little pain cleans out the mind, she'd say.
Pg. 334
What the commander said is true. One and one and one and one doesn't equal four. Each one remains unique, there is no way of joining them together. They cannot be exchanged, one for the other. They cannot replace each other.
Notices
Add NoticesSummary
Add a SummaryOffred lives in a society where women are valued purely for their ability to reproduce because of rampant bareness caused by radioactive materials. Offred is one of the handmaids who are forced to procreate under the direct supervision of their commanding 'wives'. Offred had a family and a child of her own which were taken from her when she was forced to become property. All aspects of her life are controlled on pain of death. Things start to spiral downward when her Commander (baby daddy) starts speaking to her outside of the prearranged time he promises her glimpses of her old life. She is also forced into a sexual encounter with one of the servant men after her commanding wife feels the commander is incapable of getting her pregnant. She continues on this relationship even though she is afraid of being found out. The book ends rather abruptly when Offred is taken away in a van which is known to dispose of rebellious handmaids. It is implied that her lover helps her escape although it is ambiguous.
Comment
Add a CommentIf you found yourself holding your breath while you turned pages and felt like The Handmaid's Tale was just a bit too apt for our time read It Can't Happen Here. Remember -- nothing Atwood wrote about in The Handmaid's Tale was really fiction. It has all happened in some form in some place at some time. You have to decide for yourself if it will happen here.
This was nearly a DNF. It was frustrating to read. I'm not a fan of Atwood it appears. I read this purely because I wanted to read the sequel, I can't see that happening any time soon.
The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel about a totalitarian patriarchal society in Cambridge, Massachusetts in The Republic of Gilead formerly known as the United States. In Gilead, women were stripped of all rights. Their sole purpose was reproduction. High ranking official couples that could not have children were assigned handmaids to conceive with the husbands so that the couple could have children. This novel is about Offred, short for Property of Fred, her life as a handmaid for Commander Fred and his wife. Before she was a handmaid, she, her husband, and their young daughter were caught escaping to Canada. Her husband was captured and never heard from again. Her young daughter was taken away by another woman. Offred was forced to become a handmaid. She often recalled the freedom she enjoyed before Gilead, her best friend in college and her family. It was a stark contrast from the totalitarian government she lived now.
This is a powerful book about human rights or lack thereof under a totalitarian government. Even high ranking officials like Commander Fred and his wife who supported the government seemed to seek freedom. The commander kept a private library while books were outlawed. His wife, a gospel singer before Gilead banned music, often hummed a melody when she thought no one was listening. No one could trust a neighbor or a friend because that person could be a spy for the government. It is disheartening that totalitarian government still exists and that there are many people who still live in an oppressed society today.
The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel that follows a totalitarian state where women are deprived of all of their rights (read, write, own property or handle money). The main character, Offred, is one of the only remaining fertile women. Therefore she is forcibly assigned to produce children for the "Commanders" or the ruling class of men. The rest of the women are classed socially and are forced to follow a strict dress code.
The Handmaid's tale explores themes of subjugated women, and the various means by which women resist and attempt to gain independence. However, due to the explicit sexual content, this book is not suitable for people under the age of 15.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a funny, unexpected and horrifying story based on a female servant in the Republic of Gilead, Offred. Since this novel was so frightening and powering at the same time, it emotionally drained me. The handmaids present in this story have no free will, nor do they have any individualism, as if they are all treated as simple baby producing machines. Atwood does a great job of portraying women without power, and I feel this is still a topic that people need to educate themselves on. Even in this generation, I don’t quite understand why individuals find it so hard to normalize women in position of power. The Handmaid’s Tale shows that if we were to follow the chauvinist views of the old testament with fierce intensity, it would be sure that women would have no power at all. These views would be reinforced by complete cultural destruction, as well as lack of any form of self-expression. In this story, women are not allowed to read or write, not being able to speak their minds. Women are controlled in a way where they are forced to forget their pasts and put an end to any sense of personal affection. It was like an election, where sexism won, and women lost. It was disturbing to read about all the experiences Offred had to encounter, which is what made the novel so perceptive, provoking and dire. I would encourage anyone to give this one a read because you will be impressed! 4.5/5 stars
@Bookland of the Hamilton Public Library's Teen Review Board
After continual recommendation, I decided to read Margaret Atwood’s famed The Handmaid’s Tale, a modern dystopian novel that simulates a society where women especially are categorized into separate roles, all of which are subservient to men. Offred is a 33-year-old woman who was once married with a 5-year-old child before the totalitarian government was formed, known as the Republic of Gilead. Offred is a Handmaid, a role that deems her a state-approved sex slave to an important man that she is assigned to. Her job is to act as a surrogate of sorts and conceive a child, as births rates have declined in Gilead. Told through the perspective of Offred, readers become familiar with the constructs of Gilead and the experiences of Offred. The Handmaid’s Tale is different from usual dystopian novels as the main character’s ulterior motive is not to escape or find a way to defy the rules of her government as an act of rebellion. The Handmaid’s Tale is an individual story of Offred, no one else, and her personal perception of the society. Atwood’s novel is a refreshing change from the monotonous sci-fi and fantasy books that flood the shelves. I give this book a 3.5/5 star rating and recommend it to readers ages 15+ as there are a lot of sexual descriptions and references.
@ilovefood of the Hamilton Public Library's Teen Review Board
I read this book mainly because I had heard so much hoopla about the TV series (which I never saw). I suspect this is one of those instances where the TV adaptation - due to a talented team of writers, actors, producers, etc.. - is better than the book. Atwood makes an interesting case for how it can happen that a traumatized - apathetic? - people allow their government to take away their freedoms. Particularly pertinent in today's post-911 (and now COVID-19!) environment. Interesting that Hollywood waited over 30 years to adapt it to the big screen. Probably a story in itself.
Did not read on tv
I am probably not the best person to review this book. I have not liked anything that Atwood has written since the Edible Woman. Back then she had a sense of humor.
This book is unique and is certainly one that even though I didn't enjoy it, it has left a mark on me. It is about a female living in a religious, totalitarian society where women are oppressed, that is the simplest summary I can give without giving too much away. I found that the book was quite dry and boring at times and there was very few exciting portions. I also really didn't like the protagonist, I'm sure Atwood tried to write her in a way to evoke sympathy from the reader, but I just couldn't sympathize. A friend of mine warned me that the ending of the book is very odd, but what I found personally is that the ending returned the book to my graces.
I also think one of the things that disappointed me about this book is that it is often compared to George Orwell's 1984, which caused me to expect too much from it. I also really disliked Atwood's style of writing, I found it hard to get through.
I would give this book a 2/5 rating.
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