The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a dystopian story about a world where Christian Fundamentalists have taken over the government of the United States and suspended the Constitution. Women have NO rights. Minorities are expelled – Jews are specifically discussed, but there is no mention of any other ethnicity other than white. There are also fertility problems that are, naturally, blamed on women – not men. The women who are deemed to be fertile are declared to be Handmaids.

Handmaids are forced to join an organization that brainwashes them into subservience and obedience. Once they are officially inducted they are identified by the red dresses and white wimple. The Handmaids are sent to “postings” where they are expected to become pregnant by the male head of the household (Commander or member of the government) during a ceremony where the Wife is present. Each Handmaid lives with this “family” for two years during this effort to conceive. If no child is born, she is moved to another posting. If she fails to conceive after three different postings, she is sent to “the colonies” to clean up toxic waste and die.

There are three other classifications for women in the world of The Handmaid’s Tale. They are Wives (who wear blue dresses and are married to the Commanders), Marthas (who are domestic servants and wear green uniform dresses) and Econowives (who wear stripped dresses and are married to lesser men in the government). There are no old women in this society. When women of little status become too old to work, they are also shipped off to “The Colonies.” Women (of all status levels) are also not allowed to read or write as the current government sees teaching women to read and write is one of the mistakes that society made in the past.

Now I know that the story I’ve described so far does not sound like a fun and cheery read. It’s not and it doesn’t get any better – though it is a well-written story. However, I do feel that it is important to read stories like this from time-to-time because we can see some of the elements of this cautionary tale in US society today. The Tea Party, the rise of mega-churches and fundamentalist Christianity, the vitriol against immigrants, gays, and other religious philosophies like Judaism, Islam, Atheism, and other belief systems that do not conform to the majority’s belief systems.

I would recommend this book to all women, teenage girls and men who love strong women. The world portrayed in The Handmaid’s Tale could come to pass if it is allowed to through in-action and apathy. As with all prejudices and systems of hate, people of good and moral character have to speak up and say “Stop” in order to prevent the folly such systems would bring. Parables like The Handmaid’s Tale warn us of what could happen in order to make us aware and enable us to avoid going down that undesirable path.