Title: Handmaid’s tale
Author:
Margaret Atwood
Literary
Level: Intermediate
Rating: 5/5
Handmaid’s Tale is a novel written by Margaret Atwood and published in
1985. The story follows a young woman in a diary-esc type of journal as she
tries to survive a post-apocalyptic, dystopian, theocratic dictatorship set
just shy of the twenty-first century, ruled by far-right Christians and their
extremist views on the traditional way of living. The main character does not
state her real name to the reader but most of the time responds to Offred (Of
Fred—the possible name of the commander). In the midst of a religious war, she
is taken to serve a commander as a maid, dressing in all red from head to toe,
like the old days when women were not permitted to show skin or have free will.
The novel is the diary of a helpless woman that wants to escape the shackles of
man but is too tired to go against them, for death is the only punishment. The
ending is an ambiguous one, where you do not know what will happen to the
protagonist, nor does the protagonist.
This is a masterpiece of a book. It is a compelling and well-written
book on the horrors of religious zealotry and how it would affect the women on
a psychological level; destroying their life essence and personality, boiling
it down to subservience and docile nature. A country dictated by the laws of
old Christianity as it molds its citizens into either war veterans, housemaids, or nurturers. The worst aspect of what a theocratic dictatorship can bring; is the unconditional sibling to George Orwell’s 1984. If you wish to have a majestic
and unique experience I highly recommend putting Mozart’s Lacrimosa on repeat
once you reach the final chapter of the story. A tenebrous ending with ominous
background music will send a chill down your spine as you read the last
remaining lines.