Atwood, M.(2006). The Handmaid's tale. New York: Everyman's Library.
Annotation: Religious fundamentals rule what was once the United States and fertile women are given to powerful men to serve as Handmaids.
Summary: Told from the point of view of Offred, A Handsmaid's Tale is set in a time when a radical religious group called the Sons of Jacob have killed the President of the United States and overthrown the government. All banking is done electronically and through the simple act of taking control of women's bank accounts they effectively wipe out women's rights. Eventually families are split up and are divided based on their abilities and are in service to the ruling class. Women who refuse to be in service are called unwomen and are shipped off to colonies where they perform manual. Offred is a concubine, or Handsmaid, to Fred whose wife Serena Joy is infertile based on a passage in the Old Testament. While Fred's only contact is supposed to be sexual intercourse during "the Ceremony" with Serena Joy present, Fred begins an illicit relationship with Offred, giving her contraband like lotion and reading materials as well as taking her to a government run brothel. Serena Joy also enters into an illicit relationship with Offred, convincing her to begin sexual relations with Nick, Fred driver in an attempt to become pregnant using photos of Offred's daughter and the knowledge that Offred will be sent to a colony if she doesn't become pregnant soon. The agreement between Offred and Serena Joy ends when Serena Joy discovers evidence that Offred and Fred have been meeting secretly and Offred is taken away by the secret police. In the last chapter we learn that government of Gilead was eventually overthrown and that the story was actaully a series of tapes that were found in the future.
Review: This was a confusing story, but a compelling one. It is entirely possible to imagine something like this happening, with the growth of intolerant religious right groups and with our continued reliance on debit cards rather than actual cash. Offred's passiveness really bothered me, but it makes sense since the Handmaids were extensively brainwashed. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in religious freedom or feminism.
Possible recommendations: 1984 by George Orwell, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
Rating:3Q, 3P
Summary: Told from the point of view of Offred, A Handsmaid's Tale is set in a time when a radical religious group called the Sons of Jacob have killed the President of the United States and overthrown the government. All banking is done electronically and through the simple act of taking control of women's bank accounts they effectively wipe out women's rights. Eventually families are split up and are divided based on their abilities and are in service to the ruling class. Women who refuse to be in service are called unwomen and are shipped off to colonies where they perform manual. Offred is a concubine, or Handsmaid, to Fred whose wife Serena Joy is infertile based on a passage in the Old Testament. While Fred's only contact is supposed to be sexual intercourse during "the Ceremony" with Serena Joy present, Fred begins an illicit relationship with Offred, giving her contraband like lotion and reading materials as well as taking her to a government run brothel. Serena Joy also enters into an illicit relationship with Offred, convincing her to begin sexual relations with Nick, Fred driver in an attempt to become pregnant using photos of Offred's daughter and the knowledge that Offred will be sent to a colony if she doesn't become pregnant soon. The agreement between Offred and Serena Joy ends when Serena Joy discovers evidence that Offred and Fred have been meeting secretly and Offred is taken away by the secret police. In the last chapter we learn that government of Gilead was eventually overthrown and that the story was actaully a series of tapes that were found in the future.
Review: This was a confusing story, but a compelling one. It is entirely possible to imagine something like this happening, with the growth of intolerant religious right groups and with our continued reliance on debit cards rather than actual cash. Offred's passiveness really bothered me, but it makes sense since the Handmaids were extensively brainwashed. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in religious freedom or feminism.
Possible recommendations: 1984 by George Orwell, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
Rating:3Q, 3P
No comments:
Post a Comment