A handmaid's dystopia
"The Handmaid's Tale" is a dystopian novel written by Margaret Atwood. Fans of the book are raving about the new series on Hulu because of how closely the show resembles the book. Atwood, from Toronto, Canada, has been writing novels since the 80's and her talent is above all others. An eye into the future, the possibilities of what could come to women if all rights were stripped from them. The story shows women used as dogs and merely for breeding purposes in a world that closely resembles our own.
Is it possible?
Both book and movie make it a point to show that the story is actually a possibility.
In the story we have the characters discussing that women are no longer able to own property or converse with one another. They have become property and answer to their Commander or his wife, the woman of the house. Women are used for chores around the home and for breeding purposes with the Commander only. Does this sound familiar to you? It is amazing how closely Atwood represents Jim Crow laws, but with a twist. The credit cards and bank accounts of women were cut off and all monies transferred to the men they were married to or their next of kin. With the possibilities of technology now, imagining how easily this can be done with a click of a button is certainly a horrifying thought. Are women taking their rights for granted?
If control was put into the wrong person's hands, could this future be a possibility?
Cabinet of men
Atwood is a prophet when looking into the future. She continually impresses her audience through her interviews and with her dystopian novels because of her unique vision. She is making an impact, like one of the protestors at the Women's March holding a sign that said “make Margaret Atwood fiction again.” The cause of this sign is probably due to the deprecation of women by President Trump while he was running for office, as well as all the flack regarding women's rights in the media and Planned Parenthood being attacked.
Women's health and rights are currently being ruled by a cabinet full of men. Not a single woman makes decisions for women in the House of Representatives, a harrowing fact, but true. What point is Atwood trying to get across? Most likely the fact that it does not take much, one law that passes or one right that is stripped from women could cause a massive domino effect that could land us right where June is in "The Handmaid's Tale."
