A Handmaid’s Tale written by Margaret Atwood is an interesting dystopian novel that may not be for everyone…but it definitely gets an A in my grading books. I truly enjoyed reading this novel from the horrifying scenes to the surprising ones… well done Margaret.
Atwood introduces you to the society of Gilead in the novel It is a community made up of Marthas, Angels, Handmaids, Commanders, Wives and others. The book in a nutshell is about a Handmaid, named Offred, who is forced to have sex with the Commander once a month in order to get pregnant and have a baby. If I could give anyone one piece of advice is that I highly suggest you read the historical notes. As your friend, your reviewer, a fellow English student, do yourself a favor and listen up. The historical notes give you an idea of what happens after the terrible official ending you get.
An interesting theme in the book is that the Handmaids are not allowed to read or write or really learn anything. It even says on the back of the book, “…food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read.” This is a very weird concept to think about...imagine not being able to read signs or listen to the news. To be totally cut off from news and what is going on in the rest of the world. Or what about the fact that they aren’t allowed to look in mirrors or see themselves. They wear “wings” to “keep us from seeing, but also from being seen,” Offred tells us.
One thing I really liked about this book is how Atwood challenges her audience by forcing the readers to put themselves in the world of Gilead. By putting yourself in Offred’s shoes you understand so much more.
I recommend this book for kids in high school and older. It is extremely interesting to be put in such a different world than the one we live in. From a female’s perspective I would not want to be live in this world, and to be honest I wouldn’t want to live in this society if I were a man either. However, for the sake of the book it was quite interesting to step back from the world we do live in and picture myself apart of the book. To imagine having the life of a handmaid is something I would never dream of but it gives you a reality check. We are lucky enough to wear whatever we want, to look however we want and to read or listen to whatever we want (for the most part). Because not all cultures or societies allow these freedoms, you shouldn’t take these “little” things for granted.