The Handmaid's Tale Mirror of Life

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is written about women in this fictional dystopia and how they are treated, but while reading, I see many instances that remind me of my life. As a woman, I have experienced my share of harassment. It began at a very young age. I remember at elementary school, one guy in my class grabbed my chest and tried to play it off as an accident. I didn’t know what to do. At the young age of 10, I was afraid to speak up, scared I’d be told I’m overreacting simply because it was an “accident”. All I did was slap him and walk away. It was all I could get my body to do.

In our society, when a woman is assaulted, the question is always “what were you wearing? “Why didn’t you fight him off?” “Maybe you gave him a signal that you wanted it.” The blame is somehow always put upon the victim, and not the aggressor. The Handmaid’s Tale has the same thought process. When Aunt Lydia says “They can’t help it. God made them that way but he did not make you that way.” (45) When she says this, she is shifting the blame onto the women, saying that it is in man’s nature to behave this way. That it is on the women if they are raped or assaulted. This makes women afraid to speak out, like how I was.

As I got older, it only got worse for me. Being touched without my permission became a constant recurring thing in middle school. From the groping of my chest, to a guy flipping my skirt up and running away. I remember confronting that guy the next day with my friends around me. Once I was done speaking, I pushed him to leave. My friends clapped and encouraged me that I did the right thing. But at that moment I did not feel empowered. I felt weak, similar to how the women in this book feel.

Being raped is a fear I have that is always in my mind. When I am alone taking my train and bus home, I always have that thought in my head. “Is he coming over here?” I keep my head bowed to act like I’m on my phone as I glance up to see where he goes. “Why is he looking at me?” I move so I’m out of his line of sight. If there’s a group of guys, walk fast and don’t make eye contact. If he says hi to me, don’t respond. But then again, no reply could put me in just as much danger.

Countless women have been killed for simply saying no. No to giving out their names, their numbers, or for even not smiling back when spoken to. “Sometimes it’s dangerous not to speak” (29) is a quote I deeply relate to. When you live in a world where anything could set off a man and get you killed, it’s terrifying. When women are catcalled, we are expected to take that as a compliment. We have to hide how we actually feel just to get home safely. The ending scene in chapter 11 reminds me of this. “I must leave the impression that I am not offended.” (61) When I had to read chapter 11, I could not read it. Having to read a descriptive section of someone getting assaulted made me cringe. I can never read or watch a rape scene it just makes me sick. I do not like having to imagine that. I had to skip around that page.

The women in the Handmaid’s Tale society main role is carrying children. It is so important that if you are not able to have kids, you are now an Unwoman and get sent to an island. You are deemed useless. Being sent there is like a punishment. It’s something the women want to avoid. This is clear throughout the book, but is evident after Janine gives birth in chapter 21. Since she has proven herself still useful to this society, “she’ll never be sent to the Colonies, she’ll never be declared an Unwoman. That is her reward.” (127) And that is it.

The need for the woman to bring children into the world as the only thing that makes them useful reminded me a lot of how society in our world is. Although we live in a time where women have more choice of what they want to do with their lives, having kids is always expected. I hear this from my Mother often, as she continues hoping I’ll change my mind and want kids at some point in my life.

Life as a woman is like constantly walking on eggshells just to be safe, just like in The Handmaid’s Tale. The book is a mirror of reality. I see that very clearly.