The one with a Handmaid

I recently finished reading Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale; it is an incredible book about the human spirit which begs us to question our own character. It was one of those books where I begin reading & have tear away from it because though it's enthralling, I can't waste away a day simply reading. The novel was written in 1985 & has since won over 1/2 a dozen highly acclaimed awards as well as being adapted to every form of theatrical entertainment. I watched bits & pieces of the movie; however, as is so often the case, it could not do justice to print.

The plot is of an alternative US which has become a Military Dictatorship, The Republic of Gilead, formed after the assassination of the President & the successive restructuring of society which results in the elimination of rights to any form of freedom for 90% of the population. In this society dress-code references a person's social function, from the Commander, Wife, Handmaid, Martha's, Aunts, Angels, Etc. The Sons of Jacob, are the Jewish men who more or less rule The Republic of Gilead. What is interesting however, is that while the rulers of the nation were supposed to be Jewish, they used many Biblical stories as justification for strict rules, being closely tied to the stories as they were. This in & of itself is not strange when concerning extremists; that is, until you realize that half of the time, they're using stories from the New Testament, which of course is there Christianity separates from Judaism. (This is the one factor which the movie does in fact fix.) Fore it is only in the Old Testament that Judaism and Christianity are in agreement. I wonder if this was a detail which was overlooked by the Author, or some other rather strange twist in plot.

The diction, & discrimination when it comes to which details to focus into are impeccable. They get at how truly we take our freedoms for granted. "I looked at the cigarette with longing. For me, like liquor & coffee, they are forbidden" (14). The main character is constantly flashing back to her previous life, what they call 'the other time', she sums up the existence of a Handmaid as such: "We lived in the gaps between stories" (57).

One of my favorite lines is "We lived, as usual, by ignoring. Ignoring isn't the same as ignorance, you have to work at it" (56). It brings to light our nature, ignoring the things which bother us yet we cannot change; however, she brings this to the ultimate. A place where she has no choice but to ignore the complete loss of her constitutional rights. I begs the question, what evils do we ignore? Are there things we should take the stand to change?

Questions continued to circle my mind as I continued reading to better understand her world. What would I do? Would I have the integrity, the austerity of spirit, the defiance of her friend Moira? Would I eventually crumble? Would I forget the freedom I now enjoy? Would I forget my current life, the people in it? Would I still look for Love in such desolate circumstances? Would I join the injustice? Would I know how to spell Hope?

As I said, it was an outstanding & provoking book! Even in such a seriously based book, I found an eerily funny note at the end. It is only in the end notes that you find out the book was based around the city of Bangor, Maine. Why this is incredible & funny to me, is that from the 1st paragraph I read, I was picturing the center of Bangor, where I went to High School & grew up. I went to a private school of the same ear in the center of the city which down to each brick and old window fits the "red center". There is no University, but as one walks from the school down into the downtown you pass a large wall, several chruches, a grand library further into the downtown, dozens of glass-front shops, and eventually the river. It's breathtaking becuase I don't know why it struck me as such, but from the weather to the buildings I could see it, almost feel it as being in Bangor. Despite having lived in New Jersey now for over a year, that is exactly what came to mind when I was reading the pages of The Handmaid's Tale.

Here are some pictures of Bangor, as well as final quote to consider:

"its barren landscape, yet perfect; it's the sort of desert the saints went into, so their minds would not be distracted by profusion. I think this is what God must look like: an egg. The life of the moon may be be on the surface, but inside" (110)