MANSS

     Before we started reading the Handmaid’s Tale in class, I watched the Hulu Series, which I thought was very good and portrayed the book very well. I found that th older movie didn’t match up with the book as well, and I thought it was cheesier and the acting not as good.      In the movie, the Handmaid’s uniforms were portrayed differently than described in the book. The book described their hats as white with large wings on either side so that they couldn’t see out. In the movie, they worse red veils which completely ruins their purpose. I think the Hulu series portrays their outfits very accurately. In the Hulu Series, Serena Joy and the Commander look like they are both in their thirties. In the book, I think they are portrayed as being much older, which helps the reader to understand that Serena Joy is infertile and portrays their status in society much higher. In the movie, Serena Joy and the Commander are both older, probably in their fifties...

When we were asked to make historical or real-world connections to the Handmaiden’s Tale, my initial reaction was to draw a blank. Did the world ever have a post-nuclear war religiously fanatic society, where declining birthrates required women to become little more than baby machines? No, yet despite the circumstances that led to the rise of the Republic of Gilead there are many similar authoritarian states today. At their core these states abuse the power of religion to control their population while using the idea of an enemy or war to unite its people against. In addition, these states make certain to have a carefully cultivated image to the rest of the world to hide the lack of basic individual rights of their citizens. Suddenly the Republic of Gilead which felt so ludicrous at first didn’t seem so far off from the Saudi Arabias and North Koreas of the world to me. Saudi Arabia is a religious state famous for its lack of human rights, especially for women. Women are effect...

When asked if there is a possibility of a Utopian society that satisfies everyone my gut reaction is to say no, just because of the different way everyone sees the world as well as their values. A quintessential part of life for us in this world is experiencing challenges and learning how to adapt and overcome them. Whether this is a small thing when we are young, like learning how to share, or a bigger thing when we are older, like working with difficult people at a job these experiences help us grow as people. Although in the moment these obstacles are unpleasant and we wish to just always be happy there is a gratification we get from overcoming things and learning how to handle situations. In theory, in a utopian society we would always get what we want, this would mean when we are 3 and want ice cream for breakfast we would get it, we would never have to learn how to deal with the emotions of not getting that ice cream. Therefore, we wouldn’t emotionally mature in the same way we a...

THE CEREMONY The Handmaid's Tale is a really intriguing and disturbing book so far. The society in which Margaret Atwood creates is twisted. In this blog post I will mainly be talking about “the ceremony”, and a couple thoughts on the society. Before we get into the ceremony, a quick side note. I find the situation depressing because Offred has experienced that normal lifestyle with love, and she has now been forced to live in this new society.     The treatment of women in the Republic of Gilead is terrifying. In a society that is trying to increase the population, I feel like women should be treasured. The book kind of touched on women being “protected” when Offred is talking about her room and how they removed things that she could use to hurt or kill herself.     The ceremony was terrible for everyone (some more than others), Offred, Serena Joy, and the reader. Serena Joy seems very uncomfortable by the encounter, and rightfully so. I ca...