Why should you read "The Handmaid's Tale"? - Naomi R. Mercer

TED-Ed

8 Mar 201805:05

Summary

TLDRMargaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' envisions a dystopian future where a theocratic regime, Gilead, seizes power in the United States, drastically restricting women's rights. Women are categorized into social classes and subjected to state-sanctioned abuse, reflecting a society where complacency leads to the erosion of individual freedoms. Atwood draws parallels with historical theocracies, using this backdrop to critique the dangers of unchecked power and societal regression.

Takeaways

📚 Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' is a speculative fiction novel set in a dystopian future where a theocratic government, the Republic of Gilead, has taken over the United States.
🛡 The regime in Gilead restricts everyone, but in practice, it gives a few men all the power, particularly over women, making them subservient.
🌐 The novel is a cautionary tale, not a prediction, warning about how societies can head towards destruction.
📈 It was published in 1985, during a time when conservative groups were challenging the progress of the second-wave feminist movement.
👥 Women in Gilead are divided into social classes based on their function and status for men, with their clothing color-coded.
🚫 Women are剥夺d of basic rights such as reading and free movement in public, and fertile women are subjected to state-sanctioned rape.
📜 Atwood's writing rule for 'The Handmaid's Tale' was to not use any event or practice that hadn't already occurred in human history.
🏰 The setting of Cambridge, Massachusetts, has historical ties to the Puritans, whose strict rules are mirrored in Gilead's society.
👩‍🎓 Atwood's personal connection to the Puritans is highlighted by her studies at Harvard and possible descent from Mary Webster, a woman accused of witchcraft.
👤 The protagonist, Offred, experiences the loss of her identity and human rights, reflecting the novel's exploration of state control over individuals.
🔍 The novel emphasizes the importance of resistance against political, intellectual, and sexual rules, which is central to its plot and message.

Q & A

What is the setting of Margaret Atwood's novel 'The Handmaid's Tale'?
-The novel is set in a near-future United States, where a Christian fundamentalist regime called the Republic of Gilead has established a theocratic government after staging a military coup.
How does the regime in Gilead control and categorize women?
-In Gilead, women are divided into distinct social classes based on their function as status symbols for men, and their clothing is color-coded. They are not allowed to read or move about freely in public.
What is the term for the type of fiction that 'The Handmaid's Tale' falls under, according to Atwood?
-Atwood refers to 'The Handmaid's Tale' as speculative fiction, which theorizes about possible futures, often negative or dystopian.
What was the historical context of 'The Handmaid's Tale' when it was published in 1985?
-The novel was published during a time when conservative groups were attacking the gains made by the second-wave feminist movement, which had been advocating for greater social and legal equality for women since the early 1960s.
How does the regime in Gilead treat fertile women?
-Fertile women in Gilead are subject to state-engineered rape to give birth to children for the regime, highlighting the extreme control and subjugation of women.
What rule did Atwood impose on herself while writing 'The Handmaid's Tale'?
-Atwood imposed a rule that she wouldn't use any event or practice in the novel that hadn't already happened in human history, making the dystopian setting feel more plausible and rooted in reality.
How does the Republic of Gilead resemble the Puritan society of Massachusetts?
-The Republic of Gilead resembles the Puritan society in Massachusetts with its strict moral codes, modest clothing, banishment of dissenters, and regulation of every aspect of people's lives and relationships.
What is the significance of the novel being set in Cambridge, Massachusetts?
-Cambridge, Massachusetts, had been ruled by the theocratic Puritans during the American colonial period, which provides a historical parallel to the theocratic rule of Gilead.
Who is the protagonist of 'The Handmaid's Tale' and what is her role in Gilead?
-The protagonist is Offred, a handmaid in the household of a commander. She had a normal, middle-class American life before the coup, but in Gilead, she is reduced to being a 'two-legged womb' for the regime.
How does Offred initially react to the loss of her human rights under the new regime?
-Offred initially accepts the loss of her fundamental human rights in the name of stabilizing the new government, but she soon realizes the extent of state control over her language, behavior, and thoughts.
What does the novel explore through its portrayal of resistance within the dystopian regime?
-The novel explores the consequences of complacency and how power can be wielded unfairly, with resistance being the actions of people who dare to break the political, intellectual, and sexual rules of the regime.

Outlines

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📚 Dystopian Vision of 'The Handmaid's Tale'

Margaret Atwood's novel 'The Handmaid's Tale' presents a dystopian future where a Christian fundamentalist regime, the Republic of Gilead, seizes power in the United States through a military coup. This regime, while theoretically restricting everyone, in practice concentrates power in the hands of a few men, particularly subjugating women. The novel, classified as speculative fiction, explores negative potential futures where society is destroyed by a small group's actions. Atwood's work reflects political trends, with dystopian narratives serving as warnings against societal self-destruction. Published in 1985 amidst conservative backlash against feminist gains, the novel imagines a future where women's progress toward equality is reversed, and they are made subservient to men. Gilead's society is structured with women divided into classes based on their function for men, with color-coded clothing and severe restrictions on their freedoms. The novel draws parallels with the historical Puritan society of Massachusetts, reflecting Atwood's personal and theoretical connections to this past. The protagonist, Offred, narrates her life before and after the coup, detailing her loss of identity and rights, and the regime's attempts to control language and thought. The novel underscores the importance of resistance against oppressive rule and the dangers of complacency.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Theocratic government

A theocratic government is a system where a state is governed by immediate divine guidance, or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided. In the context of 'The Handmaid's Tale,' the Republic of Gilead is a theocratic government that imposes strict religious laws and control over its citizens, particularly women. This concept is central to understanding the oppressive regime depicted in the novel.

💡Speculative fiction

Speculative fiction is a genre that explores possible futures, often through a blend of imaginative and real-world elements. Margaret Atwood uses this genre in 'The Handmaid's Tale' to theorize a dystopian future where society has regressed to a point where women's rights are severely curtailed. The speculative nature of the novel allows Atwood to comment on contemporary issues through a futuristic lens.

💡Dystopia

A dystopia is a fictional society characterized by human misery, oppression, and a lack of personal freedoms. In the video, 'The Handmaid's Tale' is described as a dystopian novel, illustrating a future where a Christian fundamentalist regime has taken control and women are subjugated. The dystopian setting serves as a warning about the potential consequences of certain societal trends.

💡Second-wave feminist movement

The second-wave feminist movement refers to a period of feminist activity during the 1960s and 1970s that focused on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, and workplace equality. The video mentions that 'The Handmaid's Tale' was published during a time when conservative groups were attacking the gains made by this movement, suggesting a societal backlash against women's rights.

💡Subservience

Subservience in the context of the novel means the state of being completely obedient and subordinate to someone else's will. Women in Gilead are forced into subservience, particularly fertile women who are made into 'handmaids' to bear children for the ruling class. This term captures the extreme control and lack of autonomy experienced by women in the story.

💡Color-coded clothing

In 'The Handmaid's Tale,' women's clothing is color-coded to signify their social class and function within the regime. For example, handmaids wear red, symbolizing their role in reproduction. This practice is a visual representation of the strict social hierarchy and control over women's identities in Gilead.

💡State-engineered rape

State-engineered rape refers to the systematic and forced impregnation of women by the state, as depicted in the novel where fertile women are raped to bear children for the regime. This concept is a horrifying example of the violation of women's bodies and rights in the dystopian society of Gilead.

💡Puritans

The Puritans were a group of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries known for their strict religious and moral codes. In the video, the Republic of Gilead is compared to the Puritan society that once ruled Massachusetts, with similarities in their rigid moral codes and control over people's lives, suggesting a historical precedent for the dystopian regime.

💡Protagonist

The protagonist of a story is the main character, around whom the narrative is centered. In 'The Handmaid's Tale,' Offred is the protagonist, and the novel is told from her perspective. Her experiences and observations provide insight into the oppressive world of Gilead and her personal struggle for identity and autonomy.

💡Resistance

Resistance in the context of the novel refers to the actions taken by individuals to defy the oppressive regime and assert their autonomy. The video mentions that resistance is a driving force in the plot, as characters like Offred challenge the rules and norms imposed by Gilead, highlighting the theme of defiance and the struggle for freedom.

💡Complacency

Complacency is a state of being unconcerned or self-satisfied, often leading to inaction in the face of injustice. The video suggests that 'The Handmaid's Tale' explores the consequences of complacency, warning readers about the dangers of accepting oppressive power structures without question.

Highlights

Margaret Atwood's novel 'The Handmaid's Tale' envisions a future where a Christian fundamentalist regime, the Republic of Gilead, has taken over the United States.

In Gilead, power is concentrated in the hands of a few men, and women are subjugated, particularly through the control of their reproductive rights.

The novel is categorized as speculative fiction, which explores potential futures by extrapolating from current trends and historical events.

Atwood's work is dystopian, often depicting negative futures as a warning against certain societal developments.

The novel was published in 1985, a time when conservative groups were pushing back against the advancements of the second-wave feminist movement.

Gilead is portrayed as a society where women are divided into social classes based on their function and status as symbols for men.

Women in Gilead are not allowed to read, move freely in public, and fertile women are subjected to state-sanctioned rape.

Atwood's narrative rule for 'The Handmaid's Tale' was to not include any event or practice that hadn't occurred in human history.

The setting of Cambridge, Massachusetts, is significant as it was once ruled by theocratic Puritans, mirroring Gilead's strict moral codes.

Atwood's personal connection to the Puritans is highlighted by her studies at Harvard and possible descent from a woman accused of witchcraft.

The protagonist, Offred, is a handmaid whose experiences reveal the oppressive details of life in Gilead.

Offred's life before Gilead included a husband, child, job, and a middle-class existence, all of which are stripped away by the regime.

The novel explores the theme of resistance, as Offred and others challenge the political, intellectual, and sexual rules of Gilead.

Atwood uses language as a tool to express identity and resistance in the face of state control over individual thoughts and behaviors.

The novel serves as a critique of complacency and an examination of the dangers of power being wielded unjustly.

Despite being set in a future dystopia, 'The Handmaid's Tale' remains relevant as a cautionary tale about the consequences of societal complacency and the abuse of power.