The Handmaid's Tale Reading Schedule, Feb 1st-7th - Chapters 1-13

[Stephanie, Super Mod]

Already we are getting hit with a ton of information. At the same time, Atwood set up the year to be 1985. The novel is set in the near future and has obviously made quite an impact to still be talked about year after year.

We get to know Offread and find out what her unfortunate and just nasty ugly life is about. Part of what always fascinated me about this novel was the possibility of it happening. Is there a possibility for society to be restructured like this? I personally hope not.

What I like about Atwood's writing is her style. I find it easy to read and yet at the same time the intelligence of Offread is incredibly sad. I think many characters that I have encountered recently not have the same voice which captures me so easily into reading.

What is everyone's thoughts on this? Anyone re-reading? Anyone hating it? Why?

Favorite quote so far: 'Why tempt her to friendship?'

[Jennifer]

I am not reading along, since I am too busy, but I might pop in from time to time to discuss. I have read this book a few different times, and it is one of my all-time favorites. I read it first for an intro to American Lit course as a freshman in college, and I became an Atwood fan for life. If you read interviews with her as well, you'll see she is devilishly witty.

On the question of "could this happen", when I read dystopian novels, I think "yes". Not exactly that way, but I think history had shown that a few missteps, a few too many 'it can't happen here' mentalities can have stunning effects. I think we consider ourselves too evolved or too smart at our own peril. I highly doubt we would get the fundamentalist Christian sector in power as we see in THT, but even if we look to 1984 or Fahrenheit 451, I think there are parts of our world that are eerily similar. We are just so acclimated to them that it doesn't faze us. Call me conspiracy-minded, but I think we are down a path that will bring us to no good. And there's my crazy rant for the day :P

One of my favorite things of many of Atwood's novels is her ability to keep us guessing and putting together the pieces. She doesn't give us the entire history of Gilead in one quick exposé; instead she gives us clues and hints, and we get to piece the story together. It takes a very talented writer to do that well. If anyone has read Oryx and Crake (which I recommend), she does this to an even greater extent and it is *amaaazing*.

[Greg]

Anyone intrigued by dystopias and their potential to occur in real life should check out /r/collapse. Most of them take it pretty seriously. If you so too, you'll fit right in. If you take it half seriously, you'll get a kick out of some of the posts.

[Jennifer]

Oooh, thanks for the suggestion :D

[Chris, R/bookclub Mod]

Annie wrote: "Is there a possibility for society to be restructured like this?"

As you're reading, get beyond Offred's narrative and consider the general principles of Gilead society: are there societies in the world that exist like this, or have existed like this in the past?

I won't be re-reading but i'm looking forward to the discussions. There is a really great quote early on: “This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary.”

[Ashley]

I just have a couple of little points of interest from this section.

1 - Reading is no longer allowed for women & Offread clings to the few pieces of writing by women that she sees. "FAITH" on the cushion in her room, and the Latin word in the cupboard. Later, while describing newspaper articles detailing the happenings of the uprisings, shift of power, she says, "we were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories." I found it interesting to compare this to her new reading/writing free life. To not be included in the print of newspaper articles gives her freedom, yet when she becomes a part of that story, her freedom is restricted by not being allowed to read or write.

2 - "FAITH is a faded blue." This is Offread's description of the cushion in her room. Faith, although religion is being pushed pretty hard, is faded. The Commander's Wives all wear blue, and we assume the commander's wife in this household made this cushion. Her faith and her role as a wife is likely faded due to the new status quo.