The Handmaid's Tale

This quarantine has given me a lot of free time, not only to waste it but also to start reading and watching movies and series that expand my culture. While I am still reading the book, I started (and finished) the Hulu production of Margaret Atwoods's 1985 book, The Handmaid's Tale. The dystopian tragedy was created by Bruce Miller in 2016 and stars Elizabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahozski and many more. 

Map of Gilead

The United States faces a civil war, an ultraconservative and traditional group take power and proclame the USA as Gilead. In Gilead, society is based of hierarchy and gender. The government officials  as the Commanders, their Wives, Martha, the housekeepers, Handmaids, Aunts, women who control and torture the Handmaids and The Eyes, the police. Handmaids are women who are fertile and can bear children but that have "sinned" in the past, they are passed family to family and have to endure what is called the "Ceremony". Following an extreme version of Bilhal in the Bible, the Commanders have to impregnate the Handmaids while the Wives hold their arms down. All this is due to the extremely low fertility rate that makes conceiving children almost impossible. If a baby is born, it is given to the Commander and his Wife and the Handmaid is taken to a new family. These Handmaids are named after their Commander, with the prefix Of-the Commander's name. 

We follow the story of June, a young woman who when trying to flee Gilead was captured by The Eyes with her young daughter Hannah and husband Luke. She is taken as a Handmaid separated from from her daughter and given to Fred Waterford, a high ranking commander and his wife Serena Joy Waterford. Her name becomes Ofred. We follow the horrible lives that these Handmaids have to suffer.

June or Ofred

The Waterfords and Ofred behind

The main plot focuses on June's relationship with the Waterfords and trying to reunite with both her huband and daughter Hannah, who was given to another family.

It is important to note that every woman has a specific color. The Wives are dressed in Turquoise Blue dresses, inspired by the Virgin Mary. The Marthas in grey, they are blended in the background and unseen. The Handmaid's in a red dress to symbolize their fertility. The Aunts are the women that are most respected and have the most power. They wear brown. Their color represent their social status.

Wives, Aunts and Handmaids

The Colonies

In Gilead, women are not allowed to work, read, write or speak out. Serena Joy, the Commander's wife played a crucial part in Gilead's creation, but she is not allowed to take part of any decision making and spends her time gardening and sowing, even thought in the past she was an ultraconservative  political activist. The price if caught reading is an amputated finger. Queer people are referred to as "gender-traitors". Music, books and anything entertaining are prohibited, with the exception of Jezebel's a secret brother government officials created where women who have no role to play in Gilead to go as prostitutes. There music and evening clothing/lingerie are allowed. Female prisoners or "Unwomen" are sent to the Colonies, where they have to go through extremely difficult labor work in toxic fields where most dies in a few weeks because of the radiation. The Eyes are a fundamental point in Gilead, they spy on everyone and with any sign of rebellion or sin, they are to be punished, often hung on "the Wall", publicly executed by forced Handmaids, or amputated. 

The Handmaids

It is an extremely interesting and shocking story that I think everyone must read/watch. While being a dystopi, it reflects the place women have in society and describes, in exaggeration, the dynamic between men and women in our society. Where women who obtain power like the Aunts are seen as more masculine, Wives as sexless and obedient, Handmaids are objects desired to bear children, Marthas who do not serve a purpose are forced to do domestic work while Jezebels are just sexual objects to please the men.