The Handmaid's Tale holds up a mirror to modern society and a discomfortably possible future America
For whatever reason, sales of “1984”—the classic dystopian novel by George Orwell—skyrocketed after the election of our current president. It might be due to the new administration’s penchant for creating alternate realities during press conferences and television interviews, coining phrases like “alternative facts” and “Holocaust centers” and generally bewildering the news media, who are woefully unprepared for such open and willful deceit.
It might be simply because the populace recognizes that something very abnormal is happening at the highest level of government, and “1984” is easily the most recognizable dystopian novel in history. Maybe, by digesting the themes put forth by Orwell, they can get their bearings on what to expect.
Most would argue that the society in “1984” isn’t necessarily representative of what’s happening now. Our American dystopia will likely be one of our own distinct flavors, something unpredictable and unknowable. It could feature a few highlights from our most depressing authors, though.
If we are looking a distinctly American, feminist dystopia, we should look no further than Margaret Atwood’s “A Handmaid’s Tale.” Published in 1985, the book is as timely as ever (unfortunately), and has now been brought to life in a powerful and uncomfortable series on Hulu.
The story is set in the near future of New England, where the United States has been overthrown and co-opted by a theocracy based on traditional Old Testament principles.
Fertility and birth rates have been in decline for generations, due to pollution, and the Christian fundamentalists in charge have taken a note from Genesis 30: 1-3, with the tale of Jacob and Rachel.
Rachel was barren and Jacob wanted children. To sooth the anger of her husband, she instructed him to impregnate her handmaid Bilhah, while she watched, so that she “may also have children by her.”
The Sons of Jacob (the oppressors in this world) have applied this idea by forcing “immoral” yet fertile women to become “handmaids” for their ruling class, where they are used for breeding by their masters so that their wives may have children.
The show does not cut away in its unrelenting depiction of this “ceremony”. In fact, the show does not shy away from anything at all, laying bare the world created by Atwood in blinding, excruciating detail.
The story follows Offred (Elizabeth Moss) as she tries to survive her harrowing ordeal, hoping to one day return to the daughter she lost as she and her husband attempted to escape into Canada.
What’s striking about the show is how it hints at the speed of society’s unraveling. It was a sudden shift in a long process. Offred likens it to boiling to death in a bathtub where the temperature is increased incrementally. A person might never even notice until it was too late. The setting is modern and archaic, terrifying and familiar, as if we are only steps away from this reality.
This is, of course, the point of any good dystopia. It should always hint at underlying problems found in our own world. The Handmaid’s Tale offers this in spades, building the world through Offred’s thoughts (which come from Atwood’s own words) and through the sinister background details peppered throughout the show.
The performance by Moss is exceptional and layered, as well as is the performance by Alexis Bledel, Offred’s handmaid partner Ofglen. Bledel is best known for her work on Gilmore Girls, but The Handmaid’s Tale offers her a chance to step outside her Rory Gilmore inspired persona into a much more meaty, complicated role. She more than rises to the challenge, particularly in the episode “Late,” which features a nearly silent performance.
As with all prestige television of this type, The Handmaid’s Tale is beautiful and expertly filmed. The only drawback is that it requires a Hulu subscription.
Of course, a free 30-day trial of the service is offered but the company only released the first three episodes during its debut, opting to release a new episode every Wednesday afterwards. To watch the series, you will have to pay for one month of the service.
If Hulu offered better content that can’t be found elsewhere, this wouldn’t be a bad deal, but there isn’t much on Hulu that you couldn’t find on Amazon or Netflix. Still, I’d say TThe Handmaid’s Tale is worth $12.