The Republic of Gilead

Have you ever been assigned a book, and, purely because it was assigned, found you had a growing disdain for the title without doing a moment of research?

Have you ever heard someone else's opinion on a novel and found yourself immediately turned off from reading it?

Both of these were reasons I avoided picking up Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Add to that my caution about any book turned to movie/tv show and you found the book I avoided like the plague.

So, what were my major concerns before reading the book?

• Representation of Religion
  One of my peers who chose to read the novel during our graduate course said that Atwood's book confirmed his/her hatred and abandonment of Christianity specifically and of religion in general. As a follower of Christ, I was concerned that this book was not a proper representation of Christianity, but I wasn't courageous enough to read the book and have that conversation at the time.
• Feminism
  Because I chose another book for the grad course, I could only view the novel through the eyes of those who did read it, and the response was overwhelmingly feminist. Now, I am an advocate for women, but I do believe much of the feminist movement has gotten out of control, focusing on only the negative and not on how men and women work together to create our world. 

 What drew me to the book?

Honestly? I caved to peer pressure. I recently joined the PageHabit team and started a "bookstagram" and The Handmaid's Tale kept popping up. I realized that I could not justifiably disregard the book until I had at least attempted to read it. Plus, I purchased it for $1.50.

Have I sold you yet? I know this sounds skeptical, but bear with me and keep reading.

The Introduction

The Handmaid's Tale, though it has recently gained national attention via a Netflix show based on Atwood's book, is not a new publication. Atwood began writing the dystopia in 1984 and it was originally published two years later. In 2017, with the production of the Netflix show underway, Atwood added an introduction to the novel. The teacher in me never skips the introduction and I was please to find that the author addressed the concerns I listed above. 

First, she addressed the topic of feminism:

"...is The Handmaid's Tale a "feminist" novel? If you mean an ideological tract in which all women are angels and/or so victimized they are incapable of moral choice, no. If you mean a novel in which women are human beings--with all the variety of character and behavior that implies--and are also interesting and important, and what happens to them is crucial to the them, structure, and plot of the book, then yes. In that sense many books are "feminist" (xvi).

 Here Atwood so poignantly addresses that fact that any book which presents women as fallible human beings is presenting women in a favorable, realistic light. Many novels have female characters that are crucial to the story who face incredible situations, yet never stop fighting for their individuality and freedom.

Second, she addressed the topic of religion:

"Is The Handmaid's Tale anti-religion? Again, it depends on what you mean by that. True, a group of authoritarian men seize control and attempt to restore an extreme version of the patriarchy, in which women (like nineteenth-century American slaves) are forbidden to read. . . . they can't control money or have jobs outside the home, unlike some women in the Bible. The regime uses Biblical symbols, as any authoritarian regime taking over America doubtless would, they wouldn't be Communists or Muslims" (xvii). 

This is the paragraph that actually opened my eyes and encouraged me to read the book with an open mind. Notice some of her words: "an extreme version of the patriarchy", "unlike some women in the Bible", and "uses some Biblical symbols".

Every good dystopia is built upon making a minor thing--which is often innocent or useful--an extreme problem. In the Hunger Games the world is divided into industries, in Divergent it is character traits, The Giver takes away memories to wipe away fear (and happiness). Atwood creates her dystopia by taking principals and traditions of Christianity and seeing how they could be used to create an adverse, authoritarian society.

Note secondly, that Atwood addresses how this world treats women differently than women in the Bible. Many women in the Bible held positions of power and respect. The Proverbs 31 woman is a well-rounded, independent woman. While she does perform many of the tasks that are mandated for the Marthas and Handmaids in The Handmaid's Tale, we also see that she oversees her household (verse 15) and purchases land (verse 16) and that through the characteristics described from verses 10-31, she earns her husband's honor and trust. The men of Gilead have no respect for women, and the women thereby have little respect for themselves and those around them.

Finally, Atwood points out that the authoritarian government she created uses Biblical symbols.
I won't ramble much longer as this ties to the last point. Unfortunately, many people--religious and non-religious--have used symbols, stories, and principles found in Scripture to advocate for causes that, I believe, are completely in opposition with the Bible. Did Jacob have two wives? Yes. Did Rachel give her handmaid to Jacob to provide children in her name? Yes. Does that mean God condones such actions. Absolutely not.

As you can see, I had quite a bit on my mind as I opened the cover of The Handmaid's Tale, but that didn't prevent me from reading the dystopia from cover to cover.