Margaret Atwood BIO:
Margaret Atwood, was born on November 18, 1939 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
She graduated from the University of Toronto in 1961 with a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in English with minors in Philosophy and French.
She obtained her Master’s Degree from the Radcliffe College of Harvard University in 1962
Atwood described it as a protofeminist rather than feminist work. This is story of a young woman whose sane, structured, consumer-oriented world starts to slip out of focus. Following her engagement, Marian feels her body and her self are becoming separated. [1]
Soon after she began to lecture at various Universities while working on her poetry. Her first novel “The Edible Woman” was published in 1969.
Her first book published catapulted her into the literary spotlight where she was one of the first authors that questioned gender norms and objective standards of truth when it comes to sex and personhood.
Her most popular book The Handmaid’s Tale, published in 1985 dwarfed the popularity of The Edible Woman, it was at that time that she was known as a literary genius.
Flash forward 25 years later, this book has amassed a cult following. The Handmaid’s Tale has been praised by feminists for years and some even view this book as a prophetic reality, that the ever growing “right-wing” conservative party in the U.S.A. is leading to a theocratic regime. However the irony of the modern liberal’s belief is that their view of “tolerance” is the one most intolerant belief systems on the planet. Nevertheless this book has now become part of the feminist’s canon.
When asked if this book should be considered a feminist book, Atwood answers:
“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 variety of character and behavior that implies- and are also interesting and important, and what happens to them is crucial to the theme, structure, and plot of the book, then yes. In that sense, many books are “feminist.” Pg XVI Introduction to The Handmaid’s Tale
Margaret’s answer seems to obfuscate the answer while showing that she believes that the feminist’s view of women, should just be a reality - one that does not denote a term rather just the way women should be treated.
Summary of “The Handmaid’s Tale”
“After a staged attack that killed the President of the United States and most of Congress, a radical political group called the "Sons of Jacob" used quasi-Christian ideology to launch a revolution. The United States Constitution was suspended, newspapers were censored, and what was formerly the United States of America was changed into a military dictatorship known as the Republic of Gilead. The new regime moved quickly to consolidate its power, overtaking all other religious groups, including traditional Christian denominations. In addition, the regime reorganized society using a peculiar interpretation of some Old Testament ideas, and a new militarized, hierarchical model of social and religious fanaticism among its newly created social classes. Above all, the biggest change is the severe limitation of people's rights, especially those of women, who are not allowed to read, write, own property or handle money. Most significantly, women are deprived of control over their own reproductive functions.
The name of the central character is “Offred”. The name is composed of man’s first name, Fred, and a prefix denoting “belonging to,” so it is like the “de” in French or “von” in German, or like the suffix -son in English last names such as Williamson. Within this name is concealed another possibility: “offered,” denoting a religious offering or a victim offered in sacrifice. Pg XV -Intro to The Handmaid’s Tale
The story is told in first-person narration by a woman named Offred. In this era of environmental pollution and radiation, she is one of few fertile women remaining. Therefore, she is forcibly assigned to produce children for the "Commanders", the ruling class of men, and is known as a "Handmaid" based on the biblical story of Rachel and her handmaid Bilhah. Apart from Handmaids, other women are also classed socially and follow a strict dress code, ranked highest to lowest: the Commanders' Wives in blue; the Handmaids in red with white veils around their faces; the Aunts (who train and indoctrinate the Handmaids) in brown; the Marthas (cooks and maids) in green; Econowives (who handle everything in the domestic sphere) in stripes; young, unmarried girls in white; and widows in black.
Offred details her life starting with her third assignment as a Handmaid to a Commander. Interspersed with her narratives of her present-day experiences are flashbacks of her life before and during the beginning of the revolution, including her failed attempt to escape to Canada with her husband and child, her indoctrination into life as a Handmaid by the Aunts, and the escape of her friend Moira from the indoctrination facility.
At her new home, she is treated poorly by the Commander's wife, a former Christian media personality named Serena Joy who supported women's domesticity and subordinate role well before Gilead was established. To Offred's surprise, the Commander requests to see her outside of the "Ceremony", a sexual ritual obligatory for handmaids and intended to result in conception in the presence of his wife. The two begin an illegal relationship where they play Scrabble and Offred is allowed to ask favours of him, whether in terms of information or material items. Finally, he gives her lingerie and takes her to a covert, government-run brothel called Jezebel's. Offred unexpectedly encounters Moira there, with her will broken, and she learns that those who are found breaking the law are sent to the Colonies to clean up toxic waste or are allowed to work at Jezebel's as punishment.
In the days between her visits to the Commander, Offred also learns from her shopping partner, a woman called Ofglen, of the Mayday resistance, an underground network working to overthrow the Republic of Gilead. Not knowing of Offred's criminal acts with her husband, Serena begins to suspect that the Commander is infertile, and arranges for Offred to begin a covert sexual relationship with Nick, the Commander's personal servant. After their initial sexual encounter, Offred and Nick begin to meet on their own initiative as well, with Offred discovering that she enjoys these intimate moments despite memories of her husband, and shares potentially dangerous information about her past with him. However, shortly after, Ofglen disappears (reported as a suicide), and Serena finds evidence of the relationship between Offred and the Commander, which causes Offred to contemplate suicide.
Offred tells Nick that she thinks she is pregnant. Shortly afterward, men arrive at the house wearing the uniform of the secret police, the Eyes of God, known informally as "the Eyes", to take her away. As she is led to a waiting van, Nick tells her to trust him and go with the men. It is unclear whether the men are actually Eyes, or members of the Mayday resistance. Offred is still unsure if Nick is a member of Mayday or an Eye posing as one, and does not know if leaving will result in her escape or her capture. Ultimately, she enters the van with her future uncertain.
The novel concludes with a metafictional epilogue, described as a partial transcript of an international historical association conference taking place in the year 2195. The keynote speaker explains that Offred's account of the events of the novel was recorded onto cassette tapes later found and transcribed by historians studying what is then called "the Gilead Period." Professor Pieixoto makes a sexist joke about Professor Maryann Crescent Moon, causing laughter from the audience — highlighting lingering issues regarding attitudes towards women, and his ignorance toward the situation.” -cited from Wikipedia Summary
Glossary of “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Aunts: A class of infertile women who are in positions of power. Aunts instruct handmaids to fulfill their childbearing duties for Commanders and their Wives, and also guard Unwomen in the Colonies. Many Aunts are true believers who were involved with the cause before the official Gilead transition. Unlike other women, Aunts are permitted to read and write.
Angels: Gilead's high-ranking army of soldiers that fight in border wars and guard important places like the Rachel and Leah Center. Off camera, Angels are currently fighting the exiled American government in Anchorage, Alaska. Angels are second only to Commanders.
Birthmobile: A car that transports handmaids to another handmaid's birth.
"Blessed Be the Fruit:" Gileadean for "hello." Handmaids use this line to greet each other to encourage fertility. The common reply is, "May the Lord open."
The Ceremony: The monthly handmaid ritual meant to result in impregnation. The Commander has sex with the handmaid while the handmaid lays in the Wife's lap.
Colonies: Regions of land that have been decimated by pollution and radioactivity. "Unpeople" who don't fit into Gileadean society are sent to the Colonies to work to their deaths.
Commander: A class of powerful men who use handmaids to procreate with their Wives. Back in America, Commanders had conceived of and devised Gilead.
Econowives: Working-class women married to men not powerful enough to become Commanders. Due to exhibiting proper behavior in pre-Gilead, these women were not forced to become handmaids (had June not been an "adulteress," she would've become an Econowife). They do not have the help of Marthas.
Eyes: Short for the Eyes of God, Eyes are Gilead's force of spies and secret police. Eyes remain hidden until they drive up in their black van and make public arrests. Anyone can be an Eye, including women, who often work as informants.
Gender Traitor: Members of the LGBTQ+ community, or anyone who engages in same-sex sexual activity. This crime is punishable by hanging or being sent to the Colonies.
Guardians of the Faith: A class of Gileadean armed forces that rank below Angels. They work as drivers and checkpoint guards.
Handmaid: Fertile women who bear children for Wives and their Commanders. Women become handmaids if, in pre-Gilead, they had been divorced, married to a man who was divorced, or did not have a husband. Handmaids work for Commanders in two-year terms. If a handmaid successfully has a baby, she is spared from going to the Colonies. But if a handmaid works with three Commanders without giving birth to a successful baby, she is sent to the Colonies. They wear bright red.
Red for the color of Parturition, but also from Mary Magdelene. Also so that they could easily be seen if they flee.
Jezebel: Prostitutes who work in a secret club accessible only by Commanders and foreign ambassadors.
Keepers: Healthy babies birthed by handmaids and kept by the Wives.
Marthas: Infertile women who work as caretakers and cooks in Commanders' houses. They wear green.
Mayday: A highly secretive underground resistance group working to bring down Gilead from within. Members of the group use the word "mayday" to clue each other in. Anyone may be a member of Mayday, from Eyes to Guardians to handmaids. Mayday transports letters out of the country and works to transport people, as well.
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum: A messaged carved in June's closet by the Waterfords' previous handmaid. Translated from Latin, this phrase means, "Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” The previous handmaid hanged herself.
Particicution: A form of execution in which handmaids can kill a prisoner of the state in any manner they see fit, including mass beating, stoning, or being torn to death. The word derives from "participate" and "execution."
Prayvaganza: Public religious ceremonies. Mass weddings typically take place during Prayvaganzas.
Rachel and Leah Center: The facility in which handmaids are trained and housed between assignments. It's named after the Biblical story of Rachel and Leah, which provides the framework for handmaid-Wife arrangement.
Salvaging: Executions. People who are executed are considered to be "salvaged."
Sons of Jacob: The organization that planned Gilead, and then rose up to stage a coup against the U.S. government.
Tokens: Currency for women — especially handmaids and Marthas— to use when shopping. Since women are not allowed to read, tokens contain illustrations of what they can purchase.
Unbaby: A fetus born with abnormalities that dies soon after birth. Also known as shredders.
"Under His Eye:" A greeting used for hello and goodbye.
Unwomen: Women who don't fit into the structure of Gileadean society. They're either old, sick, infertile or have broken the law. Unwomen are sent to the Colonies to work until they die.
Wives: The wives of Commanders. It's unclear whether Wives are fertile, as most procreate using handmaids. They wear blue.
Blue represents the purity of the Virgin Mary Glossary Cited
Critique of “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Though Margaret is known as a literary genius, it should be made known that her worldview, like all worldviews, has presuppositions. Margaret’s worldview is guided by that of subjective '‘agnosticism’’. The Etymology of the word is as follows:
Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-), meaning 'without', and γνῶσις (gnōsis), meaning 'knowledge'
In Latin the term "agnostic” means “ignoramus” it is where we get the term ignorant in modern English. However the modern definition of an ignoramus does differ from the classical term, it is worth mentioning that when one denies objective standards of truth in a classical sense, you are willingly fooling yourself.
Therefore to understand the worldview behind the book “The Handmaid’s Tale” you must first understand that Margaret Atwood is an agnostic, she needs the Lord Jesus Christ. She does not find it applicable to accurately represent Christianity when she believes that all denominations of Christianity do not represent “true” Christianity.
In the real world today, some religious groups are leading movements for the protection of vulnerable groups, including women. So this book is not anti-religion. It is against the use of religion as a front for tyranny. Pg XVII-XVIII Introduction to The Handmaid’s Tale
To her, there is no such thing as “true” Christianity, but we will not belabor the main contradiction behind the agnostic belief - that absolute truth cannot be defined, is in itself is an absolute truth statement. True Christianity to Atwood is a belief that exists within the confines of what she thinks is morally applicable in terms of reproductive and sexual rights for women and the oppressed.
Yet it is important to understand that when you have bowed your knee to the agnostic epistemology you have allowed for the deconstruction of objective morality, leading to moral subjectivism where everyone does what is right in his own eyes. Agnosticism when taken to its furthest logical conclusion, does not allow for someone to argue with another’s belief system. When there is no objective moral standard outside of human sense experience, there is no actual right and wrong, so who are you to argue otherwise?
Agnosticism, is not a philosophically rigid or consistent worldview, for if one truly held to the humanist tenants of agnosticism, you have no argument with the person who is trying to steal your wallet. It is just as Proverbs 23:7 states, “As a man thinks, so is he”, therefore the book “The Handmaid’s Tale” written by an agnostic is contradictory at best because the Theocracy of Gilead is doing what they think is best and the agnostic cannot consistently argue otherwise without appealing to an objective standard of morality, ahem the Bible.
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