Controversial Classics: The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale caught my attention due to the Hulu series, but I vowed to read the novel before watching the show for utmost understanding. In my senior year of high school, it was required reading. I was enthralled by the dark plot and dangerous themes it held.

The novel is centered around Offred, who is now a Handmaid within the Gilead. Her commander is Fred, as indicated by her new name: Of-Fred. She is Fred's property, forced to carry his children. Fred has a wife, Serena Joy, who helps within the process of impregnating Offred with a "Ceremony" once a month. This is a journey of Offred's rebellion against the Gildead and search for personal identity in a world where both personal identity and bodily autonomy are stripped from women.

The novel's implications of anti-Christianity, feminism, and anti-government sentiments have made it into one of the most banned books across the world. Especially since it is speculative fiction.

The central philosophy of the novel is Descartes' Dualism: The Mind-Body Problem. What makes someone a person? Is it body? Mind? Soul? What happens when the identity, mind, and body are not yours anymore? are you not you? This is precisely the premise of The Handmaid's Tale. René Descartes argued that the mind and body are distinct. The Gilead tries to crush all women's autonomy, but Offred's resistance is all in her mind. Her mantra is basically "I think, therefore I am." She constantly has to reassure herself that she exists, and she is a person with an identity.