Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35327 in Books
• Published on: 1998-01-01
• Binding: Paperback

Customer Reviews

Dystopia of too much zeal
This book appalled me- in a good way. I found the concept of a patriarchal dystopia where women are forced into inescapable castes so disturbing that this book still comes to my mind very often. Atwood did an amazing job portraying a society in which a woman's value is determined by her fertility, which leaves her with no access to education, career options, or personal goals. This book also portrays a great irony of the more zealous aspects of feminism; there is such a thing as being too protected from danger.

An Amalgamation of Fiction and Reality
In the fictional Republic of Gilead, the dramatic decrease of birthrates makes the society's fundamental goal is to control reproduction. Written from Offrend's first person point of view, the novel adds to the reader's connection with a Handmaid, her tormented feelings, and hatred toward this new totalitarian regime. Gilead is based on the precept that giving birth is women's religious and moral duty and those who do not fulfill it will be sent to hell (aka the Colonies) where the "unwomen" are left to die. With its modern setting, and reference to our present, the novel makes the reader shift between two different worlds: the narrator's and ours. For example, Atwood references Harvard as a place where the disobedient are hung and ironically she always hears the echoes of the old world where museums, stores, and the military where all used for their supposed purposes.

With Biblical allusions, and references to WWII, as in "mayday" and the totalitarian regimes of Stalin and Hitler, Atwood creates a masterful piece of a fictional world still connected to the reality.

With its ambiguous ending, the novel lets the mind ponder on what can become of this now familiar narrator. Is death better for her? Or if rescued, will she return to her family? The fact that the ending is hopeful adds to the greatness of the book.

Its only flaw, however, was its introduction of minor characters that we never get to learn about. Offred often mentions her daughter's name but she never talks about her. Otherwise, Atwood's use of syntax is a great indicator of the narrator is shifting tones- from hope to desperation, from fear to indifference, from love to passion. She constantly uses flashback about her family and her former life to demonstrate her criticism of Gilead where women are containers valued for only what is inside of them.

In order to serve the needs of the new society's elite, Gilead creates a system of titles where women are defined solely by their gender roles as Wives, Handmaids, or Marthas. Stripping them of individual names strips them of their individuality. In a moment of desperation, Offred cries out in vain, "I want to be held and told my name. I want to be valued, in ways that I am not; I want to be more than valuable. I repeat my former name; remind myself of what I once could do, how others saw me. I want to steal something" (Atwood 97).

Deprived from her basic rights, Offred frustration and anger is revealed by her use of simple sentences with anaphora to stress her futile but desperate longing for attention.

Interesting Style, Food for thought
For me, reading about dystopian societies is no fun, but that's the point. It is disturbing, and gets you to think. I loved the author's style of relating the thoughts and memories of her character...it was very realistic in the "stream of consciousness" way things flow, which offered a lot to think about in the way people react to extreme situations. I read for a book club, and it is a good book club pick. As far as being hate literature against Christianity, I think that such a view misunderstands and misses the point of the story. Dystopian stories are meant to point out the potential disaster, folly, or weaknesses of any ideology carried to extremes, how any good thing can be warped. I don't think the author, or most readers, would view it as an "expose" of the real nature of Christianity... it is meant to be a grotesque mutilation, and the vileness of that mutilation is meant to get you to THINK. It is to help us understand and be vigilant against the real potential of ANY belief or ideology being turned to ugly ends. Human nature is to be blind to the potential follies or abuses of their own cherished beliefs...and that is where the potential for disaster lies. Those aware of potential follies and their ugliness, will be more vigilant against it, quicker to defend against it.