Hi there!
Welcome to our January Finale for Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel The Handmaid's Tale.
Trigger Warning: violence, gore, cults, abhorrent treatment of women, drugs, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, abuse, brainwashing, fundamentalist religion, war, rituals, biblical language, and references, suggested suicidal/homicidal ideation
Overall
A little more interesting than the first half which is par for the course, but the story is kind of boring. But we both know that's not the point. Since it's written like a diary, it doesn't need to follow the normal progression of a story. Reads more like a day-in-the-life style.
Not meant to be entertaining, but meant to be informative for sure. Historical Notes were so interesting to Ceraya - mostly because she liked that the person provided context more for Offred's writings. It also answered the question as to why it was out of order somehow - we learned then that it was recorded and not written, which also adds to the wordplay and her puns throughout the story.
Offred & The Others
We liked how at the end of the story, Offred got to experience some agency during her affair with Nick. In addition, her feelings about becoming less protective and paranoid of herself.
All of these characters, by the way, other than Offred herself, are seen through the lens of Offred - so they appear through her opinions of them.
The Commander for sure knows his position within society with and around the women whom he has power over. And he knows how to manipulate them too.
Nick is interesting because he's totally supportive of Offred (or so it seems), but Offred cannot trust him. She can't trust any man at all in this society, so when Nick tries to protect Offred and tells her that the Van is part of Mayday, Offred can't even trust that. Something will happen to her either way in that Van, whether it's Mayday or the Eyes.
Serena Joy is just another victim of the system too, even though she might seem complicit in the awful things this country perpetuates on its people. When she offers her deal to Offred, it's something of power over Offred, but it gives Offred leverage too.
Gilead
The world-building was incredible throughout this whole story. Its clear that Atwood thought of every tiny thing. All of the signs are pictures or just symbols because people aren't allowed to read anymore. The signs and the coins.
The most important part of the second half of this book was ABSOLUTELY the description of the coup that allowed the Gilead-Supporters to take over what was formerly the USA. The slippery slope slips pretty fast. The suspension of the Constitution in the book is insane, and likely what would allow a dictatorship to take over this country.
We also spoke about Jezebel's Club. Men in this book use women in any way they can until they're dried up and dead, so of course, there's a secret brothel where men can sexually enjoy women without consequence.
The Historical Notes were incredibly useful for providing context clues in the story of what happened to Offred (or at least her tapes) after the Van picks her up.
Conclusion
Overall - 4/5 Stars, fresh off the read; beautifully written and very important message, but overall not a very riveting plot. Needs to be read before it's banned even more than it already is.
With love, see you soon!
Ceraya & Brieanna
Comments