Lit Log The Handmaid's Tale: A Woman's Choice

                     A Woman’s Choice

The world is filled with unfair treatment between men and women. It’s shown in different ways. and some more than others. The Handmaid’s Tale is a book created by Margaret Atwood, and it does an excellent job of showing a dystopian society where there is oppression only for women. Throughout the book, our main character, Offred, has to suffer the consequences of a society failing her. A cruel world where women are allowed to be used and tossed around with no punishment. Many sections in this book acknowledge this issue, where Offred feels uncomfortable because a man is treating her differently. I decided to go with the moment when Offred is having her first doctor’s check-up. When randomly, the doctor asks her if she would like to get impregnated by him with no care in the world. This happens during chapter twelve, specifically these sentences, “It’s genuine, genuine sympathy; and yet he’s enjoying this, sympathy and all. His eyes are moist with compassion, his hand is moving on me, nervously and with impatience.”-Pg.61. This section tells a lot about the system operating in The Handmaid’s Tale and raises the question, How does a hierarchy that favors men affect the autonomy of a woman to make her own decisions?

When I myself was reading this section, with Offred at the doctor’s appointment, I was disgusted. I showed a clear moment that I was uncomfortable with the situation. Which is why I wanted to tackle this section, as it painfully shows an insight into true events that happen in the real world. In the section I selected, Offred can tell that the doctor’s actions aren’t based on sympathy or wanting to help; it’s pure lust. As the doctor is a man, he automatically has a higher ranking than Offred. He has the power over Offered, and he makes sure to use this hierarchy to his advantage. As the doctor asks Offred if she would like one of his sperm to have a higher chance of her being pregnant. This automatically creates a choice for Offred; the reader knows by now that women in this system aren’t necessarily supposed to make decisions like this. It creates a complicated position for Offred, as not being pregnant means death for women in this world. But in the section, it’s noticeable that the doctor is doing this for his own pleasure; it’s the word choice Atwood uses that reveals this, repeating the word sympathy to cover the doctor’s real intentions. Offred can tell that the doctor is enjoying his time towering over her, knowing that she can’t take on a hard decision like this. As this section alone can give away how men in this oppressed world affect a woman’s choice, there are many other quotes in The Handmaid’s Tale that can relate to this section.

The commander has one of the highest roles when it comes to the setup hierarchy in this book. They are men who get to roam around more freely than women. In the recent chapters the class has read, I noticed how the commander is soft around Offred. At some point, at the end of chapter twenty-three, he gives a choice to Offred, asking her, Will you kiss me? This is how it went: “Thank you,” he says. “For the game.” Then he says, “I want you to kiss me.” Fast forward to Offred’s response, “I think about how I could approach the Commander, to kiss him, here alone, and take off his jacket, as if to allow or invite something further, some approach to true love, and put my arms around him and slip the lever out from the sleeve and drive the sharp end into him suddenly, between his ribs.”-Pg.139/140. When I read this quote, I automatically thought back to the doctor scene because the theme of this choice is the opposite of the doctor’s section. But in the end, it’s still a man in the story with a bigger role in the hierarchy, affecting a woman’s options. The reason I thought this was because whatever choice Offred decided on, which she ended up kissing the Commander, it could lead to life or death. The Commander now holds a secret that he can spread if he wants to, most likely making Offred an unwoman. This can also go back to the doctor; he could also get Offred in trouble for bestowing a choice upon her. In the real world, women have more freedom and make their own choices. But in The Handmaid’s Tale, it plays out differently.

Offred is met with hard choices she has to make, or with the thought of wanting to make a choice. This moment with the doctor shows a world with sexism and misogyny. It reveals the true process of how this hierarchical world works and how women don’t have the freedom to naturally choose. As I will continue reading this book, I want to connect this deep critical question to every chapter I read. As it will allow me to truly understand Offred and her characteristics. While also showing me why the men have the power over her. Hopefully, in the future, Offred gets to be free.