The Handmaid's Tale is a story about a totalitarian theocracy set in the near future in a place called the Republic of Gilead which was formed within the borders of The United States. A military attack was staged against the President and Congress and the Consitution was abolished. This new military-style dictatorship govenment is racist, homophobic, and chauvinistic. The story is being told by Offred, a Handmaid to the Commander Fred and his wife Serena Joy. The Handmaid's are endentured servants; they are there to get impregnated by their Commander. If they are unable to become pregnant, they are sent to the Colonies which is a fate worse than death. Women who are not fertile are considered to be "Unwomen". Women in this new society have no rights. They are not allowed to read or speak. Females fell into different categories: Marthas, Wifes, Aunts, and Handmaids. Each type of woman had to wear an identifying uniform. The Handmaid's Tale is a disturbing look in a society where a woman's worth is determined by her fertility. Offred's story is told in a stream of consciousness style, out of order, dependent on her mood. She talks a lot of about her husband, Luke and her daughter. She wonders if Luke is dead; if her daughter is dead. Whenever she walks by the Wall - a place where offenders are killed and hung for display and warning- she always wonders if Luke is going to end up on the Wall. For Offred, she believes that they'd be better off dead. For me reading this book was disturbing. It made me think about the life I have and how would I react if I no longer had any rights. The 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote not even 100 years old. How quickly could that be taken away? There are still people in this country who believe the words of the Old Testament and the Bible literally in regards to a woman's role in society. I could not imagine living in a society where my body was not my own. Where I'm not considered to be a human but just a vessel for some man to plant his seed. I felt anger for those women especially Offred because she remembers what life was like before things had changed. Today there are women who live in countries where she does not have a voice. A patriarchial society where a women is not valued and has no voice. This was heavy reading but I enjoyed the book. I finished reading The Handmaid's Tale thinking about how easily this could happen. It made me think about my role as a woman and what I want to do to continue the fight for women's rights.
