The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel in a dystopian style written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and was published in 1985. The set is based on the near-future state called Gilead, which has dethroned the United States government. The new state is strongly patriarchal, where the main character, a woman named Offred, is being used for the production of children for the commanders.
The target of the author is not an easy read; instead, very specific group of people. Atwood describes different kinds of events in our life, including brutal, horrific, and unpleasant moments which can be reflected in the real history of humanity. The author describes a world where obedience is forced via brutal punishments (Atwood). Her ideas are fairly selected to represent the human rights issues and make readers think about the problems of our society.
The negativity in the novel is an effective way to direct readers’ attention to the social issues of our society. For example, harsh punishments such as amputation of theft hands, and flogging for infidelity are still practiced in some countries. Also, the public execution depicted in the novel is a direct reference to the death penalty, where specially invited people may be present during the execution.
I believe that Gilead is a realistic depiction of a place because the social norms and laws described in the novel are just an exaggerated version and collection from the real world. The novel covers such themes as suppressed women’s rights, domination via control of language and literature, and totalitarian regime (Atwood). It shows how the novel is closely connected with the real world.
To conclude, the novel is not a book that anyone can easily read and enjoy it. The target audience of the author is a specific group of people who are concerned about the social issues of our world. The negativity in the novel is used as an efficient tool to describe and highlight the issues that the author wants to question. Even if some parts of the novel are far from reality, the world created is a realistic possible future of our society as well.
Reference
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. Vol. 301. Everyman’s Library, 2006.