The Handmaid's Tale

Dystopian novels are twisted versions of reality, a portal into the extreme, or a future that may take place. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, is a dystopian novel that is in all manners creepy and disturbing. The novel follows a character that is called Offred in the Republic of Gilead. This Republic has been created in the United States and has become the way of life. The people in this republic take the Bible in it’s most literal sense and although are supposedly following God’s will, are entirely faithless. They no longer feel close to God and love does not exist in any real form. Everyone is miserable and lives in fear; humans to not exist, only tools. The men have secret agendas and the women are broken down into roles that they are required to follow. Everyone lives in fear for one false move and the Eyes take them away, they are killed, or they are sent to the Colonies; all of these a terrible fate. Offred describes her experience in this society, detailing her life in the home of her Commander, flashbacks of her times with the Aunts, and flashbacks of her life before she was a Handmaid.

Even though this book made the reader uncomfortable, I liked it and thought it was well written. There was a good amount of imagery and the characters were diverse and interesting; their personalities delicately playing off of each other. I thought it was interesting how Atwood commented on religion and feminism at the same time, and showed how people must learn to choose between taking everything literally and interpreting writings and ideas in a proper manner. The people lost sight of what religion truly is and this was part of their downfall. The book was also likeable because the reader was left to interpret the end. It wasn’t automatically a negative or a positive; Offred stepped up into the van of the Eyes, apparently rescued by Nick, and stepped into the light. This could be taken as she died, as her she started a new life, or something else entirely. I enjoyed the book and the numerous analogies, symbols, and references that it contained.

One big symbol that is present in the novel is that of the Faith pillow. The pillow is dingy and hard and the printed word, Faith, is the only letters that Offred is permitted to see. Also the words and flowers are faded and worn out. The pillow symbolizes that faith is always present, even if it had taken a beating. You should not give up on your faith, it is always there for you to grasp and have for hope. But the shape of the pillow also suggests that the beauty of faith has gone from this society. The irony in this pillow is that there is hardly any faith left in the people, but here it is sitting in Offred’s room, solid material for her to touch. The hard pillow is on a seat that is narrow with, showing that the faith that this society follows, the faith in the government leaders, is rigid and tough. No one is fully at ease. Another link with the pillow is that Offred wanted to throw it at the Commander. This suggests that the men in society and the Commanders need to be hit with faith and woken from this dreamy state of misery. Everyone needs a little more faith. The pillow is symbolic of the shaggy state of faith in this society, and how it’s no longer taken care of and cherished like it once was.

The novel was a chain of words that created imagery and an interesting plot. The quote that I found most intriguing in the novel was “the window of Soul Scrolls is shatterproof. Behind it are printout machines, row on row of them... what the machines print is prayers, roll upon roll, prayers going out endlessly…ordering prayers from Soul Scrolls is supposed to be a sign of piety and faithfulness to the regime, so of course the Commanders’ Wives do it a lot. It helps their husbands’ careers” (p 167). This quote took place when Offred was running errands with Ofglen one morning. After they shop for the groceries that they are required to get, the two liked to visit the wall or other parts of the town. Offred had known this city before it had turned into Gilead, but this place no longer resembles the modern society it once did. Soul Scrolls is a franchise that prints out prayers that have been ordered by the Wives. There are five different types of prayers, and after the prayer is ordered it is printed out on the paper and the machine “says” the prayer.

This quote is interesting because it shows that the traditions of religion have lost their value. Praying is supposed to make one feel closer to God and is a personal act that one does. But Soul Scrolls has mutilated this practice and turned it into something to gain, either for money or status. The Wives order the prayers to help their husband’s careers and the store makes money off of the prayers. There is nothing personal and touching about a machine that says a prayer, especially ones that always have the same words. The act of praying has been turned into a business that is made to benefit the Commanders and the regime, there is no link to faith or God. This quote shows how disconnected this society truly is from the traditions, values, and meaning of religion. The people merely follow the literal words that have been printed on paper of the Bible; there is no feeling behind the acts they commit.