![]() You might not recall that the narrator and main character, Offred (Elisabeth Moss), a handmaid forcefully separated from her husband and daughter in order to become a reproductive surrogate for one of Gilead’s most influential couples, was once an assistant book editor. ![]() ![]() This loss of literary awareness and power is threaded throughout the book and corresponding TV show-the latter which sees its second season premiering today. They are also banned from reading and writing-a restriction that is not only dehumanizing, but that also deprives women of any chance to record their own history. The women in The Handmaid’s Tale are oppressed in every possible way, most notably through rape and the ceremonial confiscation of their reproductive rights. In a patriarchal society turned radical and violent, a woman’s voice will be stifled by taking away the written word. In Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, critics and viewers alike immediately recognize that the dystopian world of Gilead-where women are stripped of all human rights-is no longer rooted in fiction. And while many have praised the book’s feminist themes, none have noticed that the Hulu adaptation highlights Atwood’s special warning intended for women writers, historians, artists, and documentarians. ![]() It’s nearly impossible to deny the social and political relevance of The Handmaid’s Tale. ![]()
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