The Handmaid's Tale

To begin analyzation of this story, I want to pick out a quote that struck me when I read it as several had. This one in particular, though, symbolizes a struggle society faces now and may continue to face if people continue to live without morals. On page 210, the Commander and our narrator, Offred, are discussing what led up to the lives they lead. What exactly made it necessary for society to take such drastic measures in order to try to "repair" itself. The Commander states (about women),

"I'm not talking about sex... That was part of it, the sex was too easy. Anyone could just buy it. There was nothing to work for, nothing to fight for. We have the stats from that time. You know what they were complaining about the most? Inability to feel. Men were turning off on sex, even. They were turning off on marriage... You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs... We thought we could do better. Better? I say, in a small voice. How can he think this is better. Better never means better for everyone... It always means worse, for some."

Just the fact that people try to rationalize and justify the actions the Government put in place and the new lifestyles they forced upon these people is ridiculous to me. Yet, in this case, the Commander does make some sense which is scary because I see a little of what he is saying so it makes one wonder where our society is headed. I like how he says the inability to feel and men were turning off marriage because is that not happening right now? With almost half or more of all marriages ending in divorce anyway, committment is something you rarely see now a days. It reminds me of that car commercial: "What ever happened to sticking by your choices". Or something along those lines. Society does in ways make it too easy for infidelity to happen or get away with things like paying for sex. Which in turn cause that inability to feel because why should we if we can get that momentary pleasure with all the nagging feelings. Believe me this is not how I feel but it is disturbing the way our society is. With most issues we dig this giant hole, jump in and then complain we can not get out. I think Atwood accurately demonstrates that in this novel.
It is also interesting how the Commander claims that better never means better for everyone. In this society, I did not come across one person that seemed completely better and happy except for the people doing the brainwashing on the women. Other than that everyone from the Commander down to the people outside this community was totally discontented by it. So who exactly is this community bettering?



I like one of the themes in this book which represented how if people do not stick together, mostly women, in the face of danger all will fall apart. Although there was the Underground, it just did not seem like there was enough people standing up for this horrid society. They all were unhappy in their own ways but they did not care, they just went along with everything. It represents the fear people have of government. As soon as those women were thrown from their jobs they should have started leaving or causing uproars, why just depend on your husband when you have made yourself a position in life? To me, there was not enough questioning and defending of your own life. Why would you want to live a life in which you have none of your own values? I would rather die fighting for my life than being forced to do things I do not agree with.





So far, The Handmaid's Tale may rank as my favorite book we have read in class but it also disappointed me. I can not stand the cliff hanger ending but, unlike some novels in school, it kept me incredibly intrigued and inching to read the next chapter. I just needed to know what happened and how people let this lifestyle happen to these people. It also in a way was a reality shock and scare because, throughout, I wondered if this may ever occur in real life. I decided if it did, I would probably be a Moira. Which is scary in itself.