my notes on "the handmaid's tale"

I don't want to take the time to craft an elegant post around my hurriedly scribbled notes, so I'll just try to lay them down in a somewhat discernible fashion, and you guys can choose which, if any, you want to talk about.

1.  I have had a number of people say to me, "I don't care about politics."  Well, this book is a shining example of why we can't afford not to care about politics.  I don't think much of people who don't vote, or who laugh about their willful ignorance of the affairs of the country.  I like my stories and shallow pursuits, too, but I also read the paper and listen to the news, because I am a grownup. 

2.  In the Red Center they use the phrase "freedom from."  As in, people used to have the freedom to do things, now they have freedom from things.  It reminds me of a conversation I had with my cousin's wife.  They lived in China for a year, and she commented about how much she loved being able to go running anywhere, at any time of the day or night, and how she didn't have to watch her kids, because China is so safe, and she'd love to move back there someday.  That's a scary thought, to me.  China is a fine place, I'm sure, but I like saying what I think without fear of imprisonment.  I don't like exchanging liberty for safety, within reason.  And "within reason" is something that you have to spend a lot of time parsing, if you're a responsible person. Because I've been blessed enough to live in safety AND freedom my entire life.  Would my opinion change if I'd ever seen what it's really like to live in a bad area? 

Also, the Aunts talk about how women are safe from the dangers of rape and other violence, but they aren't really.  The flesh trade outside the city is still very vibrant, and despite the pretty face they put on it, the Ceremony is merely state-sanctioned rape.  Lacking the authority to deny consent is the same thing as lacking the ability to give consent, and thus every sexual liaison between the handmaid and the Commander, and the more intimate relationship that Fred pursues, is rape.  

3.  In the flashbacks Offred is very different, and it took me a while to figure out what it is.  But then I realized that her current self is very infantile, and I wondered if it was an example of how treating people like children is self-actualizing.

4.  Offred misses the mundanities, like oranges and lingerie stores and going with her family to get ice cream. 

5.  In order to maintain control an oppressive regime relies heavily on its citizenry to be their eyes and ears, to inform on each other.  How long would it take before we became as craven and duplicitous as the people in the book? 

6.  The nomenclature for the handmaids is abhorrent--once I realized that "Offred" stands for "property of Fred," I was disgusted.  She doesn't get even an item name.  The wives are called "Wife of So-and-so," but the handmaids don't even get that much.

7.  Sexism is still alive and well in 2195, as evidenced by the jokes told in the keynote address at the conference.  They joke about the handmaids' lack of education, they make a put about "tale" vs. "tail," they refer to the underground frailroad . . . groan.

That's what I have for now. 

book blog is here, sort of

This is the book blog. I wish we could have a live chat, but then it would get to be a chore like all book clubs. I had one in Lehi where we read The Harvester (like a chaste, rural Harlequin romance, I recommend it) and The Poisonwood Bible (my choice), and that one worked pretty well for over a year, but then I moved. I was in one here and I think we only got through one book, which was The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, which I did not love. I was embarrassed by that mom, and the book was depressing. Then that group went kerplooey, and I've been on my own since, which is fine, but sometimes you want to talk about a book with someone who's also read it. There's no crime in that!

So in the service of not creating an errand for everyone, we will make do with discussing our findings in the comments. It may take a while to get the kinks worked out, so please be patient with my analog-era brainwork.

First up is The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood. I'll post my notes in two weeks--that's probably enough time for anybody who wants to read it to track it down, right? I'm excited! It's a doozy.