I think one of the most important things to remember when reading Handmaid is that it was written to follow the political climate in the United States to it's logical conclusion.
The political climate of the era was filled with groups like the Moral Majority, with their vocal culture critics and celebrity hi-jinks by the likes of Anita Bryant, set the tone early on. The election of Ronald Reagan, who invited these groups into the White House, cemented it. The youth culture, just emerged from the anything-goes '70s were disturbed by this wedding of church to state. Evangelical Christians with a deep-seated belief in 'family values' or 'traditional values' were gaining the ear of lawmakers and moving into positions of power.
At least that's what it was like for me to read it in the 1980s. I was completely satisfied with the end of the book and I have no desire to read The Testaments. For me, The Handmaid's Tale will always be a cultural artifact from a different era. One that should be remembered, but still an artifact of what it could be like should an idealistic authoritarian group gain power over the intimate lives of others.
The political climate of the era was filled with groups like the Moral Majority, with their vocal culture critics and celebrity hi-jinks by the likes of Anita Bryant, set the tone early on. The election of Ronald Reagan, who invited these groups into the White House, cemented it. The youth culture, just emerged from the anything-goes '70s were disturbed by this wedding of church to state. Evangelical Christians with a deep-seated belief in 'family values' or 'traditional values' were gaining the ear of lawmakers and moving into positions of power.
At least that's what it was like for me to read it in the 1980s. I was completely satisfied with the end of the book and I have no desire to read The Testaments. For me, The Handmaid's Tale will always be a cultural artifact from a different era. One that should be remembered, but still an artifact of what it could be like should an idealistic authoritarian group gain power over the intimate lives of others.
Reply
Leave a comment