The Handmaid’s Tale is a piece of speculative fiction that imagines an alternate world where the US has been taken over by a religious totalitarian regime. I agree that the statement is an accurate description of the Handmaid’s Tale as, in the novel, Atwood imagines a near future that could feasibly be ours by satirizing various trends observed in the 1980s: poor treatment of women, the rise of the Christian right, racism, disease and infertility. By doing this Atwood explores the possible consequences of existing trends.
The first way that Atwood explores the possible consequences of contemporary trends is through the characters of “The Sons of Jacob” and their motivations to overthrow the government to start their own totalitarian theocratic regime. Under this regime, with their law loosely based on an extremist version of the old testament, women are not allowed possess their own property, work or read. Commander Waterford says, in chapter 12, that “Better never means better for everyone… It always means worse, for some” which is very patronizing to a woman of Offred’s intelligence. Atwood uses this and the idea of the Sons of Jacob to show that, despite the group being aware that they’re oppressing others as part of their bid to solve the ongoing fertility crisis in America, they feel that the issue is so large that they will not stop, even if others are being hurt in the process as they feel it’s for the greater good. By doing this, Atwood effectively reflects the idea of a patriarchal society much like ours. Their motivation of a fertility crisis and lack of women who want children is not so far away from truth, however, as at the time of Atwood writing the Handmaid’s Tale, in the 80’s, fertility rate was at an all time low after the 1980’s recession. This was due, in part, to the rise of liberal feminism which argues for equal treatment for women and men. This meant women’s rights activists were becoming more concerned with access to birth control and abortion. Consequently, this led to backlash from pro-lifers and the Reagan administration of the time also retaliated with a policy that the US government would only fund ‘natural’ family planning – abstinence. Liberal feminism also helped bring around the Equal Pay Act, which allowed women to be paid the same amount as men for the same amount of work. This is completely the opposite in Gilead, however, as a result of the Sons of Jacob creating Gilead means women have been fired from their jobs. For fertile women, this was for the sole purpose of bearing children. For the infertile women, this was for the sole reason of raising the children that the handmaids bore which they so desperately wanted.
Another way Atwood explores consequences of contemporary trends is through the character of Serena Joy and the idea of televangelism. Televangelism is a portmanteau of the words “television” and “evangelism” used to describe a religious group or figure who utilises the media to communicate their beliefs for conversion and profit. It is done, for the most part, on satellite and cable networks owned and operated by religious groups. It has had a long and inglorious history in America, littered with sexual scandals and financial corruption – and yet it still thrives. Atwood uses Serena Joy as a prime example of this as she is a former televangelist whose expressions of theocratic policies on TV have now forced her, like all women, into a life solely at home. Atwood uses a play on words as Offred comments on this in chapter 8, saying “She doesn’t make speeches anymore. She has become speechless. She stays in her home, but it doesn’t seem to agree with her. How furious she must be, now that she’s been taken at her word.” The play on the word “speechless” could literally mean that she is unable to speak at times, perhaps as a result of the shock of Gilead taking over. However, it could also mean that she is now denied of the one thing that made her feel powerful, that allowed her some control – making speeches in support of the very thing she is now subjected to. Atwood does this to express the irony of Serena Joy’s clear bitterness from living in a world that she helped create. Women are not allowed any power, so Serena Joy can do nothing but stay at home as she once preached that all women should do, so she – in a sense – is imprisoned within Gilead as well. This is effective at emphasising Atwood’s view on televangelism in contemporary society, which is that if many of the modern televangelists really got what they were asking for or preaching about, instead if the corrupt profit and conversion of others they receive, they may end up like Serena Joy, ironically unhappy in a society they helped to create.
Atwood also expresses consequences of existing trends through Offred and the role of the handmaid. There are many times throughout the novel where Atwood uses the handmaids, especially Offred, to subtly express the fight for power in not only Gilead, but contemporary society. Power in the novel is often portrayed through the use of language, for example, the fact that Gilead can sustain control over women’s names shows that they maintain control over their bodies and identities, which is evident through the commander’s control over their handmaids. Atwood uses Offred to subvert this idea of power with Commander Waterford. His unhappiness and need for companionship allow Offred to subtly manipulate him into bending the rules and giving her contraband that the other handmaids can’t have. This is seen when he invited Offred to play scrabble with him, and during one of their games where she plays a word he doesn’t know she remarks “The Commander likes it when I distinguish myself, show precocity, like an attentive pet, prick-eared and eager to perform.” She knows that her show of intellect inflates the Commander’s pride. Atwood uses the plosive consonant of “p” in “pet” and “prick-eared” create a harsh feel, suggesting Offred’s disgust with the commander that he gives in so easily to the temptations that Offred offers. This is effective because it illustrates Offred’s power in the commander’s weaknesses, because she’s figured out what the commander likes, she is able to exploit that for her own gain. As well as the power shown in Offred and the Commander’s relationship, Offred’s narration of the novel as a whole can be seen as a mirror to the #MeToo movement, women taking back their power by telling their own stories of abuse, alike Offred taking back her power by telling her story of the horrors she faced under Gilead. On the other hand, there also are times where Atwood makes Offred seem as though she no longer has the will to fight against Gilead, such as when she becomes romantically involved with Nick and slips into complacency, recounting how he mother once said people can grow accustomed to almost anything “as long as there are a few compensations.” Through this Atwood shows how oppressive regimes like Gilead come to power and survive unchallenged when their subjects become listless. This is effective because it warns us about complacency by emphasising that, if – like Offred and the other handmaids – women did not fight for equality against the modern patriarchy, a consequence could be women being denied the work, access to birth control, family planning and divorce that is held dear in contemporary society.
In conclusion, I agree that the statement is an accurate description of the Handmaid’s Tale as Atwood effectively uses the medium of a dystopian novel and speculative fiction to warn her readers of the consequences of contemporary trends such as feminism, a decline in birth rate, televangelism and the rise of Christian far-right groups.
