Women Aren't Allowed to Read in Handmaid's Tale

It's virtually incommunicable to deny the social and political relevance of The Handmaid's Tale. In Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel, critics and viewers alike immediately recognize that the dystopian globe of Gilead—where women are stripped of all human rights—is no longer rooted in fiction. And while many have praised the book'due south feminist themes, none have noticed that the Hulu adaptation highlights Atwood'southward special warning intended for women writers, historians, artists, and documentarians. In a patriarchal social club turned radical and violent, a woman's vox will be stifled by taking away the written word.

The women inThe Handmaid'southward Tale are oppressed in every possible style, about notably through rape and the formalism confiscation of their reproductive rights. They are as well banned from reading and writing—a restriction that is not only dehumanizing, but that also deprives women of any chance to tape their ain history. This loss of literary awareness and ability is threaded throughout the book and corresponding Television receiver show—the latter which sees its second flavor premiering today.

You might not recall that the narrator and main grapheme, 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 volume editor. Offred helped publish novels and academic titles, including "nine volumes on the history on falconry"—which boyfriend handmaid Ofglen (Alexis Bledel) instinctively scoffs at before remarking, "Actually, that sounds like it'd be fun to me right now."

It's no coincidence that Offred was once a adult female professionally paid to read, write, and edit who now has no genuine access to words of whatsoever kind. In the 2nd episode, when Offred is asked into the Commander's private study, she stares at his ceiling-to-floor bookshelves in awe; later, while playing an illicit game of Scrabble, she examines the letter-pieces as if she might cry. In episode four, when she's punished and isolated in her bedroom for weeks, her only solace is a Latin phrase she finds scratched into the baseboard of her closet.

There's another case of the warningThe Handmaid's Tale provides for women writers. Serena Joy, the Commander'due south wife, was a conservative activist and, we're surprised to learn in episode six, a published author. Her book,A Woman'south Place, while infused with correct-wing politics, was also considered a text on "domestic feminism"—something the female leader of Mexico, Ambassador Castillo, quickly points out.

Ambassador Castillo, whose country has not yet embraced the Gilead movement, challenges Serena Joy's compliance with this new world, asking her directly, "Back then, did you ever imagine a club like this?" Ambassador Castillo interrupts Serena Joy'south formulaic answer past clarifying: "A lodge in which women can no longer readyour book…or anything else." Here, we finally come across Serena Joy'southward absurd facade begin to crumble. "No, I didn't," she admits. In the same episode, in pre-Gilead flashbacks, we learn Serena Joy was previously a prolific writer—writing freelance manufactures and working on a second book. It's ironic, of grade, that Serena had a manus in establishing a authorities that now denies her the liberty to do something she had dedicated her life to pursuing.

In our twenty-first century society, literacy and writing remains a grade of empowerment and joy, and a path to financial independence for women, though nosotros operate within an industry that'south however dominated by men; in Gilead, the written word in the hands of a women is explicitly a class of rebellion. Nowhere is this portrayed more than powerfully than in episode ten, the beginning flavor's finale, when Offred finally opens the package from Mayday—the brownish paper package she's literally risking her life to evangelize—but to find a package of letters.

The letters are written on napkins, scraps of newspaper, fifty-fifty the tattered edges of cardboard, whatever could exist spared; the writers are all women, Offred'southward fellow handmaids. In the letters, the women record their names (now forbidden) and share their stories, noting when they were captured and where they're held geographically, sometimes mentioning their previous lives or occupations, the names of their children who were taken away, and the ritualistic rape they've endured. The content of each alphabetic character varies, just the plea remains the same: assist united states, remember us, share our story. Ane such letter reads: "Whoever is getting this, delight don't forget me…please don't forget united states all." Offred reads each annotation frantically, fanning her hand over the letters and crying, overcome by the immensity and magnitude. Despite the intensity of the scene, still, this isn't a somber moment in the life of our protagonist. Offred is smiling through her tears, suddenly flooded with a sense of solidarity and purpose. Thank you to the written word, she no longer feels alone. For the first time in a long time, she has hope for the future.

It'south one of the most powerful and climatic scenes of the bear witness so far, for reasons both obvious and implicit. Throughout the series, we run across the consequences of withholding written language illustrated repeatedly by the women who are most afflicted by its absenteeism. Their stories demonstrate how this loss results in a forced deprivation in knowledge, which restricts a adult female'southward autonomy in a profoundly patriarchal globe. To put it simply: if women are denied the right to record and share their own history, they're limited in their ability to learn from the experiences of their predecessors. How can they connect with each other, learn from each other, and proceeds access to the same knowledge men have? Without the ability to admission, internalize, and shape written history, women tin no longer develop and grow.

When considering the fact that Gilead is intended to be a mirror image of our own society, the loss of literacy imposed upon women in this dystopian universe becomes the regime's most vicious weapon. In our environment, the ability to read and write is essential if one wishes to climb the socioeconomic ladder. Denying only certain groups of people the pursuit of literacy is an explicit and psychological detest criminal offence, and 1 America instituted during the colonial and Antebellum eras (and in many ways continues to practice). Through this parallel, we can brainstorm to encompass the implications associated with refusing women literacy; after all, our own history reveals how the restriction of cognition quickly escalates into a total abuse of power, and eventually, slavery.

It's a bleak message, simply one The Handmaid's Tale portrays clearly. In our guild, especially in this political climate, a woman's knowledge and authorisation over written language is a social justice weapon that we must protect at all costs. Without access to the written word, women's value in gild becomes consumed by the utility of their bodies. Without the ability to tape our thoughts, our thoughts are instantly dismissed, silenced, or forgotten.

This piece was originally published on April 25, 2018.

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Source: https://blog.pshares.org/the-handmaids-tale-and-the-silencing-of-a-womans-voice/

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