Over the last week, I read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale; I couldn't put it down. My only concern in my hard-to-find moments of free time was whether or not Offred would ever make it out of this terrifying dystopian society, ever find her family and friends from the time before -- before she was reduced to a "womb with legs." Essentially, in the novel North American society has been overtaken by a group who believe only certain people are worthy of the rights and privileges we have today, and those who do not fit into that group are merely used for their services to the so-called greater good, while in reality they're required to serve the same group who decided who qualifies as worthy. In the case of the Handmaids, their only viable service is to use their bodies to propagate.
There's not a lot I can say about the plot without giving too much away, but I can say this -- what a motivation to promote valuing all lives, all people despite differences of opinion. Doesn't it boil down to that? In its simplest form, this is a story of a powerful group refusing to accept, refusing even to tolerate other human beings, reducing them to objects in order to justify using and discarding them. I'm not claiming we should not be passionate about our beliefs, values, morals; I'm insisting that shoving them down others' throats will never convince others to change their minds. Mandating beliefs is an oxymoron.
Addition:
The more I think on the whole novel, the more I think of a passage I want to point out.
Offred said: "But remember that forgiveness too is power. To beg for it is power, and to withhold it or bestow it is a power, perhaps the greatest" (p. 135).
I'm still pondering on just how much and what that means to me; right now it's still brewing in my mind, and I know it's strong. I just don't have words yet for how true that is for me.
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