The Handmaid's Tale vs. Our Present

I noticed author Margaret Atwood used many realities of the modern world in developing her novel’s past and present. Several examples of this can be found within the first few chapters. The main character Offred describes her past as a place where “Women were not protected …” (Atwood 24). She then goes on to talk about rules that women followed in their everyday lives. She says that these rules were not written out but ones that every woman knew. These include not opening the door to a stranger, never reacting to a man whistling at you and not stopping for a motorist who seems to be in trouble. This description is applicable to today and reminds me of the Rape Schedule concept in which women live their lives avoiding vulnerable situations and are constantly on the defense. This goes along with Offred’s description of women being “interfered with,” killed and dumped on page 56. Upon reading this I thought of the women of Juarez, Mexico who are victims of such crimes in large numbers.

Another comparison I found was the way the Handmaids are dressed and how the tourists were gawking at them on page 29. This can easily be compared to modern veiled Muslim women. “He’ll be telling them that the women here have different customs, that to stare at them through the lens of a camera is, for them, an experience of violation” (Atwood 29). This quote can be taken out of context and describe a Muslim woman. The disturbing part was when the tourists ask the Handmaids if they are happy. In this novel, the Handmaids are not. But to compare this to all Muslim women, I felt was unfair of Atwood. Perhaps she was not specifically thinking of Muslim women when she wrote this but there certainly are similarities in her words and she does take a stance on this type of life style.

For Atwood, I believe these slight comparisons were not accidental. This novel is a very interesting parallel of our world.