The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale, another dystopian novel, is characterized by frequent Biblical allusions.  Many of these allusions can be traced back to the book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Of the many allusions throughout the work, the most prominent is that of Rachel and Leah.  In the Bible, this is a story about two sisters who are married to the same man, Jacob. Leah is fertile, while Rachel is thought to be infertile.  Both compete in bearing children for their husband by using their "handmaids" as proxies and taking possession of the child right after birth.  In The Handmaid's Tale, the allusion to Rachel and Leah appears as the title of the indoctrination building in the society.  In the Rachel and Leah Center, new Handmaid's are informed of what their new purpose for existence is. The allusion to Rachel and Leah establishes the role of women in the society: to be like Leah, and bear children.

"Ordinary, said Aunt Lydia, is what you are used to. This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary." I like this quote because it sums up the society of Gilead and the novel well. This quote reflects the power of a totalitarian state like Gilead to transform a natural revulsion and horror to something into indifference and familiarity.  This quote also expresses the idea that the society of Gilead may not ever be accepted as correct, but the people in it will eventually forget what a different world would be like.

As a whole, I find this book to be an engaging piece of literature, but from personal opinion I did not enjoy it. The society itself is repulsive and lacks freedom. Also, the consistent deeper meaning of seemingly unimportant lines and passages quickly becomes boring to analyze.  To be clear, this is not a book I in my free time by choice.