The Handmaid's Tale

By Margaret Atwood - Read: June 04, 2024 - Rating: 8/10

This dystopian novel offers a great reflection on women's reproductive rights. It was inspired by real world events such as WWII and the Salem witch trials. I find Atwood's writing to be occasionally clumsy, but her feminist perspective draws a striking parallel with today's society. Women's fight for control over their own bodies has never been more pressing.

Not surprisingly, The Handmaid's Tale has also a reminiscent air of 1984.

My Notes

A distinction I found interesting: Freedom to vs Freedom from

Freedom to is the freedom to pursue something on your own. It differs from freedom from, which mainly relies on the absence of constraints (crime, violence). The latter may seem like a good value, but it's more an illusion meant to restrict individuals' rights.

There is more than one kind of freedom, said Aunt Lydia. Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don’t underrate it.

From a philosophical perspective, I also found a insightful approach to materialism.

Lack of materialism, taken to the extreme, is very dangerous since it erase the possibility of any memory.

Offred has lost deeply sentimental items (pictures of her daughter, her clothes) that symbolizes her past life. Materialism is the force that preserves her identity and fuels her resistance against oppression.

I’ve learned to do without a lot of things. If you have a lot of things, said Aunt Lydia, you get too attached to this material world and you forget about spiritual values. You must cultivate poverty of spirit. Blessed are the meek. She didn’t go on to say anything about inheriting the earth. — Offred, on the memories that objects bring