The Handmaid's Tale - Discussion

[JurusGomes]

I would like to discuss The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

I keep seeing this book in the list of a lot of people and, mostly, are just good reviews and I don't understand why. For me it was a DNF... And it is quite overrated in my opinion. https://sarkariresult.onl/

It seems to me that people only love this book because of the politics of it (and I'm not here to discuss politics and my opinion doesn't have anything to do on what I think in regards to that) and the relevance this kind of discussion is having in society today. BUT as a dystopian book it is not quite well worked and it seems to me that the world built is only there to prove a point and not to create a believable dystopian reality. My points for not finishing it are:https://mobdro.onl/

[Angelica]

I will have to agree that in some sense, the book is overrated simply because the politics of it. There are soooo many questions left unanswered for the dystopian reality Atwood has created... So I agree with you. This book took me forever to read as it was painfully boring at some parts. However when I finally finished it I found that I liked the book a little more. I thought often about not finishing it but wanted the challenge.

[JD]

The second book, The Testament" ties a lot together.

[Barbara]

If you haven't seen it there is an interview with Margaret Atwood by Jeffrey Brown on PBS that helps to explain a lot:
https://youtu.be/-TogG9QUQ8I

Remember Atwood wrote this story 30 years ago and having been born in 1939 was curious about how totalitarian states came about.
About the current phenomenon, she says herself "It is out of control".
Brown asks if she is "Always looking to these historical analogies", to which Atwood answers that she "follow one axiom, and that is you can't put anything in that doesn't have a precedent in human history" .. "It has to have happened in these books. ... It's not me that comes up with it, {'this shit'} It's the human race that comes up with it over the past 4,000 years"

It's tough to swallow, but much of what happens in the book is what has happened to women in many different societies and religions, both historically and current.
This IS a 'Warning". Let's hope we wake up!
I read this book 25 years ago and was fascinated to watch the TV series bring it back to life and ask the serious questions about how humanity can get off the rails so easily.
It reminds me how precious democracy really is and how precious it is. On the day after Remembrance Day, this message is again so poignant.
If we don't remember our history we are doomed to repeat it.Margaret AtwoodThe Handmaid's Tale

[fernanda]

hi! i would also agree that the book is way overrated as i kept on reading i had hoped for something more exciting or at least more interesting. really think its way overrated and non cachy so it makes way harder to read.

[Ginger]

I thought the first book was excellent. It was one of those books that sticks with you.

You can't take politics out of a book review. Does that mean Orwell's 1984 was overrated?

As for the ending, do keep in mind the ending in the book and in the latest movie version were quite different. And yes, things were left up in the air, was there or was there not hope?

I'm in the middle of The Testaments and it is equally excellent.

[Ginger]

Barbara wrote: "If you haven't seen it there is an interview with Margaret Atwood by Jeffrey Brown on PBS that helps to explain a lot:
https://youtu.be/-TogG9QUQ8I

Remember Atwood wrote this story 30 years ago an..."

One of the things Atwood said in a very recent interview was that everything she put in The Handmaid's Tale she had to find an example of in real life.

[Klaus]

Let's keep in mind Margaret Atwood wrote this book as a warning after she visited Iran and saw the horror of a society ruled by Islamic fundamentalists.
This book is unjustly held up as a prophetic portrayal of life under Trump (ridiculous of course, Trump's the most libertarian president the US ever had) and Margaret's all too happy to ride that anti-Trump train the last year's for the obvious opportunistic reasons.
But definitely, the TV-series and the silly dress-up protests influenced by the wardrobe of the series is the reason for the recent popularity of this good but not great novel, not the writing itself.
Imo it is enjoyable but certainly not a novel I'd call a classic, the last 1/4'd of it is a bit too far fetched, it really destroyed my suspension of disbelief.

[Annie]

JurusGomes wrote: "I would like to discuss The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

I keep seeing this book in the list of a lot of people and, mostly, are just good reviews and I don't understand why. For me it was ..."

Hi Klaus,
I'd have to disagree. I read the book back in the 80's. I found it to be a frightening picture of what may happen if the religious right comes into power, and how easy it would be to loose rights without discussion or vote. As the world has moved on and we've become more and more dependent on technology, it would only be that much easier to disenfranchise an entire gender, and further the agenda of a few.
While I can understand your dismissal in the view of the current political climate, please remember the book was not written in response to the current administration, but long ago when this administration's views first started to take hold on in the public view. A Handmaid's Tale was written when people started to dismiss science, and dismiss medical evidence in favor of emotionally charged rhetoric. And not one thing in the book is a figment of imagination- everything she's written about and everything that is portrayed in the book has happened in the past. She hasn't made up a single thing.

[Sarah]

wow

[Madison]

I have had it sitting on my shelf for so long. I have tried reading it but have to put it back and my only reasoning is that I am not in the mood to read it. Not that it is bad or anything. I just go through different phases with genres that could last for a long or short period of time depending on what I am feeling.

[Joséphine]

Barbara wrote: "If you haven't seen it there is an interview with Margaret Atwood by Jeffrey Brown on PBS that helps to explain a lot:
https://youtu.be/-TogG9QUQ8I

Remember Atwood wrote this story 30 years ago an..."

Agreed!

[Joséphine]

Joséphine wrote: "Barbara wrote: "If you haven't seen it there is an interview with Margaret Atwood by Jeffrey Brown on PBS that helps to explain a lot:
https://youtu.be/-TogG9QUQ8I

Remember Atwood wrote this story..."

Agreed! Maybe people easily forget how long ago this book actually was written. I guess I can see how people would think it is a response to the current state, and that's sad, because that's not a thought a dystopian book should give you.

[Sierra]

Barbara wrote: "If you haven't seen it there is an interview with Margaret Atwood by Jeffrey Brown on PBS that helps to explain a lot:
https://youtu.be/-TogG9QUQ8I

Remember Atwood wrote this story 30 years ago an..."

I would also have to agree. Now, I am only a senior in high school, but I have just finished reading "The Handmaid's Tale" for my AP Literature class. So here is my opinion after spending an entire quarter on this novel.

One of the undisputed facts is that you can tie the events in the novel to actual events that have happened throughout history itself. Yes, there are the major and most obvious references to historical events, one of which is the Underground Railroad. But there are also many smaller references, such as televangelism. As to the discussion of how the novel receives so many good reviews, I believe that to truly determine how 'good' a novel is, one has to analyze it first. A novel is not just 'good' because it's 'catchy' or 'you liked the ending'. It's because of the literary complexity that it has. You can sit down and read a book and think "Oh, I liked that book. It was pretty good." But that's not all that goes into reviewing a book. You have to look at the value of the book, recommend it to other readers, and give your own opinions of the writer and their personal views. But that's not all. You also have to analyze the author's intent, symbolism, and thematic elements. Which this novel is full of. You could read each chapter five times over and still wouldn't pick up on all of the details in those chapters. You can't just take a novel at its face value.
And as for how well worked it is for a dystopian book, I would have to say that this is very realistic and is extremely well worked. Even though a distinct time is not identified in the novel, there are still signs of life as we know it today in the Gilead society. The Red Center used to be a high school. In which one can find the desk carvings showing the initials of young people in love. And when Offred flashes back to her past life with Luke and recounts the daily occurrences of that life, it is mirrored closely to how our lives are today. And not only how our lives are today, but how lives have been. This is how we distinguish our society. And the changes that occurred before the Gileadean society came to be are not so radical or irrational. With each passing day, we incorporate more technology into our lives. It's only a matter of time before we incorporate it into currency as well. And the issues that created the movements, in which Offred's mother was involved with, are still issues that are discussed today. Such as abortion. Now, I don't like getting into political debates of any kind nor do I like it when people push their politics on others. But is that what this novel is doing? It is said that what an author writes reflects their beliefs and ideas. And may we keep in mind that this novel was written in a much different world than the one we live in today. So it is not a response to the current state. And if you were going to try and argue that "The Testaments" is a response to the current state, you might also be wrong. I can not say for certain as I have not read this recent work of hers, but it could very well be as it seems, a sequel. And it would make sense for her to put out another novel. There have been tv-series and movies about "The Handmaid's Tale" and they have been gaining popularity, so her putting out another novel now is a smart choice.
All in all, "The Handmaid's Tale" is worth reading and I couldn't put it down. I read the first 26 chapters in two days, I was so enthralled and slightly terrified as I could see this happening to our society. And if you read the "Historical Notes" at the end of the novel, which is another chapter, it helps clear some things up and further cements the possibility of this happening to our society. Or if not our society, somewhere else around the world.
Now, this is my opinion and you are of course welcome to have and share your opinions. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

[areebah]

Sierra wrote: "Barbara wrote: "If you haven't seen it there is an interview with Margaret Atwood by Jeffrey Brown on PBS that helps to explain a lot:
https://youtu.be/-TogG9QUQ8I

Remember Atwood wrote this story..."

I definitely agree! I also studied the novel for my Literature class at school and was meant to take an exam on it this year but because of the coronavirus, it's been canceled.

The Handmaid's Tale is definitely a complex literary novel, and I agree you need to take everything from themes of patriarchy and religion, symbolism, and context into account when reviewing it. In class, we would reread chapters and analyse them from different standpoints and the number of subtle comments, links and themes that we missed the first time was immense. It's also extremely character-driven, which many people don't like.

It IS a great example of a dystopian novel, Atwood herself called it 'speculative fiction'. The novel acts as a warning showcasing how quickly circumstances can change if we don't wake up and protest.

I also think that the uncertainty at the end of the novel is reflective of how dystopias SHOULD end; this isn't the Hunger Games were everyone lives happily ever after. It's telling of real life; in the Historical Notes when the Professor is questioning the accuracy of Offred's story, as well as seeking this from trying to find the identity of the Commander reflects how many experiences of oppression are denounced for the preference of objectivity over emotions. Not to mention how *spoiler* two male professors essentially shape Offred's story by rearranging the tapes themselves showcasing how Offred's history is told through the eyes of those who discredit it anyway. You can't read it without taking the politics into account; it IS a political novel.