Reflection of The Handmaid's Tale

A symbol in Margaret Atwood's novel, The Handmaid's Tale, is the ceremony. "The ceremony" refers to the act of sexual intercourse between the Commander of the household, the handmaid, and the wife. This is a monthly reoccurance that is supposed to not contain any emotion or feelings pertaining to the Commander, the handmaid, or the wife. Handmaid's in this society are only valued for their uterus and whether or not they can become pregnant and have a child. The ceremony is considered such, because it is not an intimate act between two emotionally attached people who have strong feelings towards each other, as sexual intercourse is perceived to be, in any society but that of the Gilead, but it is a required, necessary act that signifies their loyalty to the society. The ceremony is often awkward for the participants, as there is not supposed to be any speaking involved, because that could possibly indicate a connection between the three people, which is prohibited. The handmaid is strictly a uterus, in the eyes of the society, while the wife and the commander are the people who are attempting to conceive the child and raise it as their own. Most times, the wife is incapable of these duties, so that is why the handmaid, a younger, usually fertile woman, is involved because she was assigned to the Commander's house to have a child. The symbol of the ceremony represents the act of awkward sex for a potential child, and represents the standing of the handmaids in this society, which is strictly a uterus.


My favorite passage from the novel is:

        "Night falls. Or has fallen. Why is it that night falls, instead of rising, like the dawn? Yet you look                east, at sunset, you can see night rising, not falling; darkness lifting into the sky, up from the horizon, like a black sun behind cloud cover. Like smoke from an unseen fire, a line of fire just below the horizon, brushfire or a burning city. Maybe night falls because it's heavy, a thick curtain pulled up over the eyes. Wool blanket. I wish I could see in the dark, better than I do.

Night has fallen, then. I feel it pressing down on me like a stone. No breeze. I sit by the partly open window, curtains tucked back because there's no one out there, no need for modesty, in my nightgown, long-sleeved even in summer, to keep us from the temptations of our own flesh, to keep us from hugging ourselves, bare armed." (Atwood 191)

I admire this passage because I think it is skillfully and delicately crafted. Margaret Atwood hints at the extremities the handmaids have to endure in this society: their nightgowns having to be long-sleeved because the society does not want the handmaids to have the sense of freedom and vulnerability that accompanies touching one's own skin, the short phrase "no breeze" indicates their is no change of heart, and no getting away. It is always routine for the handmaids and there is no getting carried away by a breeze, they are forced to stay.

This is what the handmaid's are prohibited to do, because of their own bare-arms.

This is what the handmaid's are allowed to do, because there shirts have long-sleeves.

I enjoyed reading this novel. I thought the diction was simplistic but contained many metaphors and symbols throughout it, keeping the audience on their toes all through the novel. It was not a particular challenging read, but discussed multiple mature topics, which I thought were presented in admirable notions.