Today I finished reading The Handmaid's Tale. At first, I was disappointed by the indefinite openness of the ending. But then I realized that what really happens at the ends doesn't matter, that wasn't the point of the book. Atwood leaves the ending up to me, the reader, and whichever way I choose, it doesn't change the story, or what it means. It isn't a 1984 ending, using hopelessness as punctuation to the story's moral. It isn't an ending like The Alliance either, where the problem society is changed by a noble fight. It is an ending that left me with the simultaneous feelings of hope and trepidation.
This is one of those stories that starts in the middle, where I have to figure out the backdrop and and how she arrived at this place in her story as I go along. As I began, I looked for the basic elements that are necessary in future dystopia stories. First, how did this future become of the present. Second, what are the circumstances and rules that create this future on a day to day basis. Third, what does the character do or experience that somehow changes either the character or her situation.
The first is important because it usually reveals flaws within our present society, or at the very least what the author perceives as flaws. In this book the main flaw pointed out is fear. Fear keeps people waiting to see what will happen instead of making it happen. Fear keeps people from acting when they should have. Fear incites regrettable actions.
The second is the core of the book, particularly this one. Listening to this woman speak of each day and the way she emotionally and psychologically interacts with it is the essence of this book. All the details and the colors swept me along with her into the depths of her mind. The writing is very well done. Every description and detail is somehow colored by the psychology of Offred. Nothing is a simple object, everything is created in her mind.
The third is not what I expected. I didn't expect her to escape, that doesn't fit. She doesn't, or perhaps she does. Darkness or light, it's up to me. I think I expected her to end up pregnant, and that would have been the major change that would incite her to action. She might be by the end, but that too is left up to me. The change comes more gradually, as she becomes more willing to take risks. The end is the fruition of those risks, though what that fruit is, is left up to me.
Themes from this book that I could write critical papers on: Freedom vs Security, Colors as symbolic imagery, Waiting, Definition of Love, Community vs Solitude, Trust, Self Deception, Sanity.
I would recommend this book to those interested in women's issues, but I would not recommend it to anyone yonger than 18 because of the mature themes and content.
The next book I will read is Jasper Fforde's Shades of Grey. I'm on a bit of a dystopian future kick.
April 5, 2010
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I read this book for summer reading in high school, and definetly agree with the use of color. It has been year since I have read it, but I do still remember her vivid colors and what they represented. I also remember being unsettled when I finished the book, and kind of glad it was over.
ReplyDeleteI was also really impressed how the author made you not only feel empathy and sorrow for the handmaid, but also the wife. She created full developed characters for both women.
I also really enjoyed how she presented the corruption that occured at all levels of the society.