The Unique Plot of "The Handmaid's Tale"

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The Handmaids Tale, by Margaret Atwood is by far one of the most interesting novels that I have ever read. It follows the story of a young woman named Offred as she lives her life serving the chosen family for whom she must bear the child of. The society they live in forces young women to learn the proper manners and lifestyle of a "Handmaid" before being carted off to a family with whom they stay with until bearing and birthing them a child. There is one Handmaid assigned to each family, and they all begin their journey in a large home with strict leaders controlling their every move until it is time to be placed with their family. This dystopian story is definitely intense and complicated, and shares many graphic depictions of living life as a sex slave for a family in a strict and mysterious society. Handmaids, must also participate in helping with household chores and are sent to pick up groceries and other household necessities occasionally throughout the weeks.

I think that one of the most impactful sections of this book is when Offred, gets to take grocery walks with her "partner"and other Handmaid. At first, they barely speak, but as time passes they begin to share little bits of what their life was like before the new system set in, and they were forced to become Handmaids. Through these secret conversations Offred learns about secrets that will later allow her to find out about what happened to people in her past. This is a very important moment for Offred, because it allows her to feel less alone. Knowing that there are other people out there going through the same thing that she is, and trying to find answers for themselves, gives her hope.

I think that at this point in the novel, when she finds out how she can change her life, there is a switch in Offred which also impacts the way that the book is written. Before she discovers that she may be able to try to do more with her life (although illegally) than have forced intercourse with a strange man, she is very quiet.  The book portrays her thoughts as more subdued and accepting of her situation with little motivation to change anything. After she becomes more involved with talking to her grocery partner, she begins to open up, not only in her outwardly conversation, but also her inner thoughts. This longing for freedom in Offred, allows her to be more defiant with what she wants. This change in her becomes more apparent as the book continues and eventually leads to her finding the ending she has been wishing for all along.

Conversations in this novel are another interesting aspect of the book. All conversations are very short, and mostly using vocabulary or sentences that alludes to a topic, but never outright says it. For example, when Offred becomes more comfortable with her grocery partner (Ofglen), she explains how their conversations change and also alludes to how they used to be; "Ofglen and I are more comfortable with one another now [...] We don't bother much with the formalities anymore when we greet each other; we smile and move off [..]" (Atwood 165). This shows even when two characters think they are more comfortable with each other now, they only smile, because talking is very limited and illegal. Therefore they must bond with eye-contact, slight shifts of the head and more. This is exciting to read because it allows you to pick up on more types of how body movements can show the way you feel about a certain situation.

Offred becomes more comfortable with different characters throughout her journey, which in turn allows for new opportunities to come her way. Specifically Offred develops a secret and almost friendly relationship with the father figure of the family, otherwise known as the Commander. She opens up to him more and more after she begins having secret meetings with him, and as she becomes more trusting of him they share many adventures that leads to Offred discovering more things about their society and life before it. This secret bond between them shows the strangeness of their situation and Offred gets a rush every time she is with him, knowing that they might get caught at any point. Their relationship is a surprise to the readers because it is not what you expect. Because you first learn about him as some guy that she is forced to have sex with, you don't expect him to become an integral part of the story, who really helps her through her journey.

I would not recommend this book to anyone who is not into the extreme dystopian novel that depicts a lot of very intense scenes. This book has been questioned by many people as to whether or not it is a good book to keep on shelves, but I think that it should. I think its a good book to read and although it is not a good book to model your decisions after, I do think that it holds some important lessons on knowing that it is okay to not always follow the rules and when something feels wrong, you need to follow your gut instincts.