The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Story: Immediately, The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, pulls the reader into a world where unexplained terms like “Commander”, “Angel”, and “Handmaid of” are used to describe the position of certain characters in their society. These ranks apply to a variety of people based on their given status among their peers. Unlike the current society we know in America, Gilead’s state and religion are inseparable. Freedom for women in Gilead is completely restricted. Many of the women are labeled Handmaids, who are forced to have passionless sex with their Commanders for reproductive proposes. They are also only able to leave their house for limited shopping trips and are under constant watch from Gilead’s secret police. As Offred tells the story of her daily life, she constantly slips into flashbacks where the reader can reconstruct the previous society that existed before Gilead. Offred belongs to the Commander, who is the head of the household. Every month, a Guardian accompanies Offred to a doctor, who tests her for pregnancy and disease, but they are forbidden to talk to each other. She even refuses sex from the doctor for fear of the death penalty. Later, on a shopping trip, Ofglen tells Offred that she has joined an underground organization to overthrow the leaders of Gilead called “Mayday.” Serena suggests that Offred have sex with Nick secretly since the Commander has yet to produce a baby with Offred and whispers of him being infertile are going around. The Commander and Offred start to build a much stronger relationship through giving Offred the chance to do forbidden things like playing games and reading. Offred begins to realize that the Commander’s true reason for having her come to his office all the time is because he wants her life to be livable. It’s clear that he feels guilty that women are oppressed in such extreme ways since he offers Offred such compassion. Offred understands that the Gilead society does not allow love, but that people believe arranged marriages work better than actually falling in love. Since Offred and the Commander are growing close to each other, Ofglen tells Offred to find out everything she can about him and the details of the society. Afterwards, Offred sees Moira, who gives the signal to meet her in a private place. Moira, who was a captured handmaid chose to work as a prostitute in the club, which is nicknamed “Jezebel’s,” rather than go to the Colonies. Moria is never seen again once Offred leaves the club. After the party, Ofglen pressures Offred to break into the Commander’s office. She wants Offred to find out what he really does; what responsibilities he has. Offred, not listening to Ofglen’s plans, is too busy thinking about her life with Nick. After the salvaging, Offred asks Ofglen why she helped murder the man accused of a crime. The new Ofglen whispers that the supposed rapist was part of the underground rebellion, which makes Offred nervous of the Ofglen. As they both walk home, the new Ofglen suddenly whispers that the old Ofglen hanged herself when she saw the secret police coming for her. At the end, the same type of men who reported they were to take Offred away appear, but say they cannot tell her why she is being taken. The Commander demands to see a warrant, and the mysterious members say that she is being arrested for “violation of state secrets.” As Serena yells, Offred follows the Eyes to the van waiting outside. 

Why I chose this text: I wasn’t entirely sure what book I wanted to read after the graphic novel. I know I wanted to read something that had a little more substance in the text that could be better suited for use in a high school setting. I was reminded about The Handmaid’s Tale by a classmate and remember briefly talking about the themes of the story in previous classes. It seemed like a fun book to read because the class simulation was active and engaging, while the overall story had some pretty deep meanings. I think this novel is directed towards high school aged students for a few reasons. One, the story jumps from one flashback to another, which could negatively impact the ability for younger students to actively read and understand not only the main story but the more in-depth ideas as well. Two, I noticed the novel was based upon a newly created show from pop-culture. I thought it would be nice to have a novel that has a lot of depth attached with a tv show. I think movies and shows are effective in painting a clearer picture of what is going on in the story, as well as give students practice with comparing and contrasting the differences and similarities, they see between them.

Teaching Ideas: I enjoyed the societal comparisons to how the world is today. I think there are strong connections from today’s society to the society that Gilead had developed. Being able to explore the themes of patriarchy, women’s bodies used politically and even the causes of becoming complacent could be very useful for high school student’s that are witnessing those types of interactions more often as they age. I mentioned earlier that we had a class activity about the Handmaid’s Tale, where each member participated in being a person from the Gilead society. The Guards and Commanders were in charge of keeping the peace and arresting women who broke the laws, while some of the other characters were part of the resistance. It was a fun way to see how each type of person had to act in order to survive such an oppressive society.

Problems with using this text: The main issue I see with using this text for high school is the amount of sex and how it is displayed throughout the novel in sort of a “rape” standpoint. The idea of Sex is used much differently than it is even around the world we know. I think that sex topics for many can be seen as “taboo.” It might cause a little bit of backlash from administrators or parents. There is also murder prevalent throughout the story with the beating and “salvages” of people who commit crimes against Gilead which could trigger some students who don’t handle those concepts very well. Prefacing these issues and offering support for students is an excellent way to circumvent these challenges to avoid problems.