Here I am reading my first Margaret Atwood book and figuratively kicking myself for not reading this when I was 15 or 16 when it would have changed my life. Don’t get me wrong, 22-year-old me loved it, but reading it now just gave me a sense of empowerment, affirming all of my reasons behind most of my beliefs. The book is awesome, and the book is particularly awesome coming from a background in theology. This book is for you budding, hopeful Bible college feminists!
In keeping with this week's theme, I'm going to be attempting to process the millions of thoughts I have about Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel, The Handmaid's Tale.
In the novel Atwood is issuing a warning, based on both our culture’s history of patriarchy as well as the power of extremist religious groups. Her novel begins with the detailed daily life of a handmaid named Offred, within a real-time patriarchal theocratic nightmare of a society. Here are some tenants of Offred’s world, to put things in perspective: She is a woman whose sole purpose is to remain fertile and healthy, so that once a month she is able to “serve” the officer she essentially belongs to by attempting to become pregnant with his child while under close observation by his wife. There is no love in this culture; there is committed marriage and the duty to populate the earth, two things that are entirely unrelated. Handmaids are baby-machines in a world marked by infertility and a birth crisis. The unsettling part is that Offred probably has the best job a woman can have in her culture; the belief that she should be eternally grateful for her position is continually being pressed upon her by everyone around her. She is under constant observation, specifically being watched for any signs of deviation from what she is supposed to believe religiously, politically, and about her role as a woman.
As far as dystopian novels go, this has to be one of my favorites (Disclaimer: I'm no Lemon, but I do read quite a few). It focuses on the corruption of religion, how it can be used to destroy people and control them under the guise of "goodness," while specifically looking at how easily women can be convinced and cornered into positions of submission because of closely-held histories of patriarchy. These are two things I care about a lot; they may be the two things I am most passionate about. For that reason, I had a hard time narrowing down what it was I wanted to say about the novel. I could absolutely go on and on about the feminist themes in the book, but I think that's something I'll talk about unendingly with Lemon in my free time instead. I want to focus on something more general. Though Atwood is looking at very specific issues within her dystopian society, there is a general theme of oppression presented in a way that is accessible. She is saying important things about the process and continuation of oppression that I believe all people, whether they have known inequality or not, should consider seriously.
I think the eeriest thing about Atwood’s novel is how the shift in power, from the democratic society that seems no different than the one we currently live in, to an oppressive culture governed by fear in the name of morality and religious beliefs, happens both suddenly and smoothly. One day Offred, when she was a normal woman enjoying her job before becoming a handmaid, isn’t able to use any of her credit or bank cards. She is simply cut off from her income, only to go to work soon after and learn that all of the women at her office have been fired by an obviously flustered, guilt-stricken, and fearful boss. This is a huge red-flag to Offred; I would like to believe that this would be a red-flag to anyone, but unfortunately, as is seen all too often, the oppressed group reacts to their mistreatment while the other dominant group suppresses their concerns with sentiments of: “I’m sure it’s temporary,” “It can’t be as bad as you’re making it out to be,” or “It will all work out.” It is this type of talk that convinces Offred not to act in the beginning stages of her culture’s shift, to stay where she is and, as consequence, lose everything and everyone in her life.
It doesn’t work out, and the overdue actions of a few individuals willing to give their life to restore the freedoms they once enjoyed aren’t enough to subvert a structure of power that has existed for far too long. As long as fear is the driving force of a government, few will act, and often those few will act far too late. Atwood doesn’t tell the tale of one brave women who challenged the system and saved her fellow sisters from a life of dehumanization. She presents a culture that didn’t respond to the warning signs, allowed the small steps of a dangerous regime to rule their every move, and resigned to feeling only repressed anger, unwilling to act. Atwood’s story is not only a warning, a realistic picture of something that could happen in cultures similar to ours, it’s a picture of what has already happened, throughout history and in other cultures. More than anything she shows the dangerous effects of apathy and the importance of speaking out against oppression even if the oppressors look like you, even if you are not the one directly experiencing inequality.
-Kansas
-Kansas
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