This is a futuristic novel that takes place in northern USA sometime in the beginning of the twenty-first century, in the oppressive and totalitarian Republic of Gilead. The regime demands high moral, retribution and a virtuous lifestyle. The Bible is the guiding principle. As a result of the sexual freedom, free abortion and a high increase of venereal diseases at the end of the twentieth century, many women, (and men also, but that is forbidden to say), are sterile. The women, who are still fertile, are recruited as Handmaids, and their only mission in life is to give birth to the offspring of their Commander, whose wife is infertile.
The main character in the book is Offred, one of these unfortunate servants who’s only right to exist depends on her ovaries productivity. She lives with her commander and his wife in a highly supervised centre.
Unlike men, women have been facing unique problems for centuries, and often women experience harassment and discrimination. In today’s society, females are trying to combat their tribulations through lawsuits and protest rallies. Literature often deals with people being unable to articulate their problems. Often, unforeseen circumstances force people to conceal their true emotions. In “The Handmaid’s Tale” the main female characters find ways to escape their situations rather than deal with them.
Offred from The Handmaid’s Tale uses different tactics to cope with her situation. She is trapped within a distopian society comprised of a community riddled by despair. Though she is not physically tortured, the overwhelming and ridiculously powerful government mentally enslaves her. Offred lives in a horrific society, which prevents her from being freed. Essentially, the government enslaves her because she is a female, and she is fertile.
Offred’s reminisces about the way life used to be by remembering stories about her husband Luke, her daughter, and her best friend Moira, provides her with temporary relief from her binding situation. Also, Offred befriends the Commander’s aide, Nick. Offred longs to be with her husband and she feels that she can find his love by being with Nick. She risks her life several times just to be with Nick. Feeling loved by Nick gives her a window of hope in her otherwise miserable life.
Instead of proclaiming her feelings out loud, she suppresses them. The result is a series of recordings, which describes her life, and the things she wishes she could change. Through these examples, it is apparent that Offred cannot face her problems because of outside circumstances.
Works such as “The Handmaid’s Tale” deal with females being unable to face their problems. Many authors have written on this subject matter. Though some problems are unavoidable, one can overcome certain situations by being more assertive. Along with male domination and the laws of society, women have had to contend with other challenging and oppressing situations. Despite this, women in modern society are becoming more powerful.
