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I absolutely loved the book! I chose the book because I had heard about the show on Hulu and wanted to read the origin first. As a whole, I loved Atwood's use of imagery and her diction. Some of her sentences were very simple, but subliminally expressed a plethora of meaning. For example, on page 70, June comments on things she had studied in her college psychology classes. She specifically reflects on the behavioral actions of rats and pigs. She states, “I read about that, in Introduction to Psychology; that, and the chapter on caged rats who’d give themselves electric shocks for something to do�. Not only is her commentary relating to her current state of boredom, but it overall symbolizes her treatment within the new society and her role as a Handmaid. In addition, I enjoyed the use of the flashbacks. The flashbacks added a layer of mystery, and made the narrator, June, seem more sincere and honest, and maybe even more relatable. The fact that the plot skipped around and was not in chronological order made it unique as well. However, sometimes the flashbacks were too inconsistent and caused some confusion. There could have been prior explanations before those flashbacks, but the inconsistencies were always explained at some point. Moreover, I also liked that Atwood used a character that had “sinned� in the past and had flaws. June reflects multiple times throughout the story over her past relationship with her husband, specifically how the two hooked up while he was married to another woman. As humans, we all make mistakes and fail. The true glory to life is that we learn and mature from these previous faults. In Gilead, citizens could not make mistakes. A single mistake could mean losing a limb or even death. June’s own understanding of this is a foil to that of Gilead’s form of law. It also strengthens her character and the support we feel as readers.
I also thought that Margaret Atwood did an excellent job at proposing a dystopia that is relative to the modern day. Throughout the book, there are many plot points and dialogue sections that are used to synthesize our world to that of the story's. Whilst reading the story I was horrified from the treatment of the many victims and characters. I constantly asked myself "How could someone believe in these ideals? How could someone support these actions? How could people believe these actions to be that of a godly being?". I would read over some disturbing paragraphs in disbelief and sock. I would make comments to myself like "I could never live in a word like that! It is unjust and terrifying!" However, I believe that that is Atwood's major commentary. It is important to note that the setting is within the United states, a country known for it's freedoms and liberties. Americans only read the story and think about how mortifying that type society would be, however that is the reality of many people in many other countries around the world. As privileged Americans, we do not have to wake up every morning fearing death. We have surplus. We can read, we can write, we can drive. We are able to serve ourselves and choose our own paths in life. In chapter 5, it is stated, "There are two types of freedoms, freedom to and freedom from." In essence, this means that some have their own freedom, while others receive their freedoms from another. I believe that very sentence is extremely significant to me as well as other readers, and is definitely something to take away from the story. For that reason alone, I enjoyed the book more than I imagined I would.
If you have the time to read, choose this book. It will definitely be worth it. Regardless of if you enjoy the plot, there are certain lessons and values that we can indulge ourselves in to learn from this novel.