I fell behind on reading The Handmaid’s Tale so please excuse this late update with most of the book jumbled together. The actual full review will be up on Sunday as per usual.
Chapters 14 to End Discussion
I feel like Boshra Rasti definitely was inspired by Atwood’s story. The parallels between the two are uncanny. I am also slightly mad at Atwood though because of the loose ends she left behind. (Rasti didn’t have nearly as long as threads if I remember correctly.)
My understanding of the handmaid was correct. Their job appears to be for the sole purpose of breeding. If a child was not born in so many years, they were deemed inadequate and, in a sense, fired (either through death or being sent to manual labor). Jobs were very sexist in Gilead as well – enough that society seems to have regressed into the early 1900s. Mainly in this, women were in charge of the house and having children. I found it quite telling that it was taboo to say that it was the man’s fault for the woman not to be pregnant – that he was sterile. It was like women lost their ranking in the country – but still held a glimpse of power (almost to the point of mockingly). They, as mentioned, were property of their husband and even that seemed to be contested if it was a 2nd marriage or such.
It seemed especially powerful the constant reminder of the narrator’s mother and her fight for woman’s rights. It seemed to play at two extreme opposites. She fought for the right to have abortions and such – yet her daughter seemed to pay no mind as it was taken from her until it was completely gone. From the reflection the narrator gives I can imagine many women. It doesn’t matter until it happens to them. It is always “they” and “others”.
Again, I am slightly mad at Atwood though. I wish there would have been more “Historical Notes” even if all of it stayed at the end. As it is now, the whole epilogue was a tease that I know won’t be satisfied. I can just image it now: “the ending is there for you to question”. I get it. I like it. I still want more. I want more answers. I want more background. I want more history.
I want. I want. I want.
I sound like a 2 year old.
A question that I keep find in looking at discussion topics is why the centre and the handmaids were secret as well as why reading can be seen as dangerous. Personally, I believe both have the same answers.
Ignorant people are easier to control.
While I know The Handmaid’s Tale was popular a few years back when Hulu streamed a visual adaption, I feel that the message Atwood brings to the table is especially relevant today.
Ignorant people are easier to control.
Let us not be ignorant people.
What are your final thoughts?
Rosey Reviews 