A Handmaid's Tale indeed
The Handmaid's Tale.
By Margaret Atwood
The Handmaids Tale is one of the classic books that have been converted into several programs within the entertainment industry. I assume that the majority are familiar with the TV show "The Handmaids Tale". Although it is considered as a dystopian story and plot, one can never deny that it presents reality as it is and as it will be.
Margaret Atwood is an amazing author who supported feminism and women related issues by pointing them out through her amazing work of books and essays.
As a feminist myself, the book is and will remain a masterpiece, as it illustrated issues that women around the world go through on daily bases without us knowing about or maybe just ignore and try to forget due to its heaviness. However, after reading the book more than once, I personally came into a conclusion that although its a fiction based book, it is still considered as an important piece of evidence for us to take as a warning in regards to societal and global changes that the world is going through at the moment and other changes that would take place in the near future.
No wonder why I’ll be starting my BookTalk with the Handmaids Tale…
I believe you should have known by now that this is one of my favorite books that still and will always keep me wondering more about humanity and the future of it. Not only that, but no matter how many times I read the book, I would still come across new information, theories, and conclusions.
Let us begin from the beginning .. shall we ?
I believe this is a yes.
Atwood started the first chapter of the book by having June describe the gymnasium which is an important location in Gilead, especially for the newcomers like June herself. The new selected handmaids spend most of their time in the gymnasium following their arrival. Throughout their stay, they are taught and lectured about their duties as women of Gilead in Gilead. Their roles and duties are specifically explained to them as well as the important structure of the society and the government of the state.
June who is both the narrator and the main character in here leads us through the life of a handmaid who is believed to be exercising God’s duty of conceiving children to other families through multiple interaction with the commanders. The commanders as we have seen and read in the book, are the husbands and the head of the household.
Regardless of the beauty and pure role of being a mother, a child born from a handmaid’s womb is not considered hers. the babies are taken away as soon as the handmaid takes her last breath and push. They are basically used as surrogates. Yet, in the modern day, a surrogate’s consent is important and taken into consideration in terms of conceiving a child that will be raised in another household. Legal actions would be taken against the family who would not have the surrogate’s consent. Nowadays, the procedure of conceiving and forcefully handing in the baby is considered as kidnapping.
Feminism have been through several waves and each wave focuses on an important action that considers women’s role within the society, the whole idea of work differs from one state of mind to another, in Gilead women are not allowed to work, for they are believed that they have been called for a higher duty, which is the duty of being a mother. As far as we all know, motherhood is a magical process and life for those who patiently wait to have a baby and watch them grow and be their own persona. Yet, this is never the case for the handmaids, for they are forced to conceive and give away their newborns
Although the book is illustrated in a way where it seems that only women issues are taken into consideration, there are many other aspects of human rights and other ideologies that have been explained in an indirect way (Through characters and dialogues). Taking an example of the Eyes, Angels etc.
In the Handmaids Tale, The Eyes are given high and serious importance in which they are feared and seen as if they are holly themselves due to the power and the commanding status that have been appointed to them. The eyes are basically individuals in charge of everything and that includes one's own life and soul (CHILL! It's for citizens in Gilead ONLY). The so called eyes are basically secret agents and officers who report to higher Gileadean officials about any suspicious acts or events within the society. Hmm .. I guess we can call them police officers who are making everyone safe, except that in Gilead they assure that no one would leave. Yes .. as soon as you step in, you basically can never leave.
The angels on the other hand are again government officials and officers who are selected wisely for every family and household. However, as the show portraits, the angels who act as protectors for the household and the handmaids specifically are also the ones who cause more harm. Some of the Angels were forced to do the job which is why we have also seen some of them being dragged and executed for having secret affairs with the handmaids whom they were supposed to protect and look after. Not only that, but most of them are young men who are charismatic in regards to the cause and WOMEN whom they interact with from a distance on daily bases. This is considered as another way of testing the so called angels. YES, testing them to see whether their loyalty is for the cause and the Gileadean government or their loyalty is to their own wants and needs.
Nick is an example of one of the Angels who is an equal balance between both, loyalty to the Gileadean government as well as his love to June who we know is a handmaid in the household that Nick is supposed to protect and look after.
Long story short, By the end of the show and book we have come across the shift of Nick’s loyalty, specially after the birth of his baby girl, Nicole
You might be confused on who is baby Nicole, Nick and June .. like what is really going on .. Let me tell you something here guys
So basically as we all know Gilead is a society where power and Force are used. To be more specific, its based on a totalitarian regime . Yes, they do live in the modern world but the society and the life they have constructed for themselves is based on religion, autocracy, power and most importantly fear.
June is one of the handmaids who was taken away from her husband and her daughter was placed in the care of another family. June’s role was to carry and have the baby of the commander who is also the head of the household she was placed in. However, the commander (the husband) was sterile which led the wife (Serena joy) to set June and Nick up to conceive. Baby Nicole is June and Nick’s bundle of Joy who is also known as the Miracle Baby in the second sequence of the handmaid’s tale, The Testament. As to the governmental structure and policies of Gilead’s society, June and Nick’s relationship is forbidden. However, due to Serena joy's power and influence, they were able to save their Necks.
The dark theme of the Handmaids tale left readers in aww and aah of what have happened previously and what’s going to happen next. However, it is also important to notice all the Biblical phrases that were mentioned not once or twice, but multiple times in the show as well as the book.
Nowadays, we would greet each other by saying Hey, Hello, How are you and end our conversations with Bye, See you or take care. But you dare not greet someone like that anymore in Gilead. In Gilead, greetings are based on formality and Biblical phrases such as
Blessed by the day ..
Blessed be the fruit ..
As you can see my dear reader, greetings always start with blessings. However, for the first phrase it is translated as have a great day/ what a nice day!. As for the later, its not the fruit you have in mind, not the fresh apples and oranges. They do refer to the unborn blessed fetus who were forcefully conceived and soon to be taken away.
Under his eye ..
The handmaids and citizens of Gilead always end their conversations by muttering Under his eye. Yes, under HIS EYE. The eyes themselves. This is also another way of saying and reminding everyone that they are being watched all the time. To elaborate, it's s a warning as much as its a reminder that citizens of Gilead and that includes the handmaids too are not only under the protection of the Eyes, but they are always under the eye of the EYES .
One of the most important phrases that caused us to shiver and jump out of our seats in the entire show and Book is nothing but the famous Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum, which June found written on the floor of her closet.
This phrase is translated to Don’t let the bastards grind you down.
June took it as a prayer that she constantly repeated during her tough times, it somehow made her feel safe and strong, she made herself believe that this message was left to her by the previous handmaid, which she knew June would definitely need.
In the end .. this might have been a very long talk about a book and a show, but hey no one can ever stop speaking about the handmaids tale. Whether you have watched the show and not read the book or read the book without watching the show, one can never deny that it literally made each and every one of us realize many aspects in our society and the seriousness of the global changes that we're going through. Regardless of the dark dystopian theme that the amazing Margaret Atwood have created in Gilead, it was defiantly an amazing journey of an emotional rollercoaster which left us realize many things about the world and us too .. Not to forget the nonstop tears ..
Thank you Margaret Atwood for the journey, as for you dear readers and beloved strangers Under His Eye.
The Handmaids Tale is one of the classic books that have been converted into several programs within the entertainment industry. I assume that the majority are familiar with the TV show "The Handmaids Tale". Although it is considered as a dystopian story and plot, one can never deny that it presents reality as it is and as it will be.
Margaret Atwood is an amazing author who supported feminism and women related issues by pointing them out through her amazing work of books and essays.
As a feminist myself, the book is and will remain a masterpiece, as it illustrated issues that women around the world go through on daily bases without us knowing about or maybe just ignore and try to forget due to its heaviness. However, after reading the book more than once, I personally came into a conclusion that although its a fiction based book, it is still considered as an important piece of evidence for us to take as a warning in regards to societal and global changes that the world is going through at the moment and other changes that would take place in the near future.
No wonder why I’ll be starting my BookTalk with the Handmaids Tale…
I believe you should have known by now that this is one of my favorite books that still and will always keep me wondering more about humanity and the future of it. Not only that, but no matter how many times I read the book, I would still come across new information, theories, and conclusions.
Let us begin from the beginning .. shall we ?
I believe this is a yes.
Atwood started the first chapter of the book by having June describe the gymnasium which is an important location in Gilead, especially for the newcomers like June herself. The new selected handmaids spend most of their time in the gymnasium following their arrival. Throughout their stay, they are taught and lectured about their duties as women of Gilead in Gilead. Their roles and duties are specifically explained to them as well as the important structure of the society and the government of the state.
June who is both the narrator and the main character in here leads us through the life of a handmaid who is believed to be exercising God’s duty of conceiving children to other families through multiple interaction with the commanders. The commanders as we have seen and read in the book, are the husbands and the head of the household.
Regardless of the beauty and pure role of being a mother, a child born from a handmaid’s womb is not considered hers. the babies are taken away as soon as the handmaid takes her last breath and push. They are basically used as surrogates. Yet, in the modern day, a surrogate’s consent is important and taken into consideration in terms of conceiving a child that will be raised in another household. Legal actions would be taken against the family who would not have the surrogate’s consent. Nowadays, the procedure of conceiving and forcefully handing in the baby is considered as kidnapping.
Feminism have been through several waves and each wave focuses on an important action that considers women’s role within the society, the whole idea of work differs from one state of mind to another, in Gilead women are not allowed to work, for they are believed that they have been called for a higher duty, which is the duty of being a mother. As far as we all know, motherhood is a magical process and life for those who patiently wait to have a baby and watch them grow and be their own persona. Yet, this is never the case for the handmaids, for they are forced to conceive and give away their newborns
Although the book is illustrated in a way where it seems that only women issues are taken into consideration, there are many other aspects of human rights and other ideologies that have been explained in an indirect way (Through characters and dialogues). Taking an example of the Eyes, Angels etc.
In the Handmaids Tale, The Eyes are given high and serious importance in which they are feared and seen as if they are holly themselves due to the power and the commanding status that have been appointed to them. The eyes are basically individuals in charge of everything and that includes one's own life and soul (CHILL! It's for citizens in Gilead ONLY). The so called eyes are basically secret agents and officers who report to higher Gileadean officials about any suspicious acts or events within the society. Hmm .. I guess we can call them police officers who are making everyone safe, except that in Gilead they assure that no one would leave. Yes .. as soon as you step in, you basically can never leave.
The angels on the other hand are again government officials and officers who are selected wisely for every family and household. However, as the show portraits, the angels who act as protectors for the household and the handmaids specifically are also the ones who cause more harm. Some of the Angels were forced to do the job which is why we have also seen some of them being dragged and executed for having secret affairs with the handmaids whom they were supposed to protect and look after. Not only that, but most of them are young men who are charismatic in regards to the cause and WOMEN whom they interact with from a distance on daily bases. This is considered as another way of testing the so called angels. YES, testing them to see whether their loyalty is for the cause and the Gileadean government or their loyalty is to their own wants and needs.
Nick is an example of one of the Angels who is an equal balance between both, loyalty to the Gileadean government as well as his love to June who we know is a handmaid in the household that Nick is supposed to protect and look after.
Long story short, By the end of the show and book we have come across the shift of Nick’s loyalty, specially after the birth of his baby girl, Nicole
You might be confused on who is baby Nicole, Nick and June .. like what is really going on .. Let me tell you something here guys
So basically as we all know Gilead is a society where power and Force are used. To be more specific, its based on a totalitarian regime . Yes, they do live in the modern world but the society and the life they have constructed for themselves is based on religion, autocracy, power and most importantly fear.
June is one of the handmaids who was taken away from her husband and her daughter was placed in the care of another family. June’s role was to carry and have the baby of the commander who is also the head of the household she was placed in. However, the commander (the husband) was sterile which led the wife (Serena joy) to set June and Nick up to conceive. Baby Nicole is June and Nick’s bundle of Joy who is also known as the Miracle Baby in the second sequence of the handmaid’s tale, The Testament. As to the governmental structure and policies of Gilead’s society, June and Nick’s relationship is forbidden. However, due to Serena joy's power and influence, they were able to save their Necks.
The dark theme of the Handmaids tale left readers in aww and aah of what have happened previously and what’s going to happen next. However, it is also important to notice all the Biblical phrases that were mentioned not once or twice, but multiple times in the show as well as the book.
Nowadays, we would greet each other by saying Hey, Hello, How are you and end our conversations with Bye, See you or take care. But you dare not greet someone like that anymore in Gilead. In Gilead, greetings are based on formality and Biblical phrases such as
Blessed by the day ..
Blessed be the fruit ..
As you can see my dear reader, greetings always start with blessings. However, for the first phrase it is translated as have a great day/ what a nice day!. As for the later, its not the fruit you have in mind, not the fresh apples and oranges. They do refer to the unborn blessed fetus who were forcefully conceived and soon to be taken away.
Under his eye ..
The handmaids and citizens of Gilead always end their conversations by muttering Under his eye. Yes, under HIS EYE. The eyes themselves. This is also another way of saying and reminding everyone that they are being watched all the time. To elaborate, it's s a warning as much as its a reminder that citizens of Gilead and that includes the handmaids too are not only under the protection of the Eyes, but they are always under the eye of the EYES .
One of the most important phrases that caused us to shiver and jump out of our seats in the entire show and Book is nothing but the famous Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum, which June found written on the floor of her closet.
This phrase is translated to Don’t let the bastards grind you down.
June took it as a prayer that she constantly repeated during her tough times, it somehow made her feel safe and strong, she made herself believe that this message was left to her by the previous handmaid, which she knew June would definitely need.
In the end .. this might have been a very long talk about a book and a show, but hey no one can ever stop speaking about the handmaids tale. Whether you have watched the show and not read the book or read the book without watching the show, one can never deny that it literally made each and every one of us realize many aspects in our society and the seriousness of the global changes that we're going through. Regardless of the dark dystopian theme that the amazing Margaret Atwood have created in Gilead, it was defiantly an amazing journey of an emotional rollercoaster which left us realize many things about the world and us too .. Not to forget the nonstop tears ..
Thank you Margaret Atwood for the journey, as for you dear readers and beloved strangers Under His Eye.
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