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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
start: 6/10
writing: 5/10
characters: 6/10
plot: 8/10
ending: 9/10
writing: 5/10
characters: 6/10
plot: 8/10
ending: 9/10
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
There's many moments from this book that stick with me- the Commander's relationship with Offred, the way the state dehumanizes both men and women, Moira's character, etc. The narration of the book also makes it so much more engaging to read. Reading Offred's memories before everything went wrong really highlights how anything can change under an authoritarian regime. I also think Offred's slow shift from playing a passive role to a more active role was really interesting to read about, especially in a dystopian novel. I wish I read this earlier in life, but I'm glad I read it.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
This is one of the best books I’ve read in my whole life. The way Atwood describes everything that Offred is seeing, feeling and perceiving is amazing
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Amo este libro con toda mi alma, es de mis favoritos por siempre
I can understand why the book is championed by those who subscribe to white feminist ideology.
But before I get into that, its important to understand what make a good dystopic commentary. The only thing required? Believability.
Atwood would have you believe that society fall into an extreme puritanical anti feminist landscape, which on its own can be interesting; however even within the own limits she gives herself the burden of having too many issues she wants to critque. While no one issue exists in a vacuum, in Handmaid’s Tale, it makes the story very synthetic feeling and waters down all these issues and muddles disarraythem together so they’re not only unbelievable but unimpactful. Did society fall into disarray because of declining birthrates? According to Atwood, yes. Did society fall into disarray because women were more sexually liberated? According to Atwood, yes. Did society fall into because of religious extremism? According to Atwood, yes. Did society fall into disarray because of Big Banks? According to Atwood, yes. All these can cause dystopias, that much is true, but in modern society where we still have all these issues and understand that this wouldn’t even be remotely possible makes her story one that provides no actual commentary.
This story is not written to be believable unlike the Hunger Games/Battle Royale/1984s which are all considered great dystopic commentaries because we can all imagine how current issues can spiral into those narratives. This story is written to shock only one group of people, white Americans, especially white women. This story is clearly intended for shock value, it’s intended to surprise people who think that these things can never happen to them, except if you look at history, the only people who this didn’t happen to were white women.
The book even concedes this, “My presence here is illegal. It’s forbidden for us to be alone with the Commanders. We are for breeding purposes: we aren’t concubines, geisha girls, courtesans. On the contrary: everything possible has been done to remove us from that category.”
Not to mention the horrors black women had to endure at the hands of the white masters. Not only does it reek of the racist suffragette mentality that, “women are the n****rs of the world” that heinously overlooked the struggles WoC faced but it allows perpetuates the shallow and ignorant mindset that the worst thing that can happen to a western woman is to be treated like a muslim woman. Its time we dead the narrative that something has to happen to a white women for us to understand the trauma and struggles felt by a LARGE population of women. This story is not unique, its uninspired, inorganic and most horribly it fails at its attempt to have the same cultural and moral impact as tragedies real women are going through to this day.
But before I get into that, its important to understand what make a good dystopic commentary. The only thing required? Believability.
Atwood would have you believe that society fall into an extreme puritanical anti feminist landscape, which on its own can be interesting; however even within the own limits she gives herself the burden of having too many issues she wants to critque. While no one issue exists in a vacuum, in Handmaid’s Tale, it makes the story very synthetic feeling and waters down all these issues and muddles disarraythem together so they’re not only unbelievable but unimpactful. Did society fall into disarray because of declining birthrates? According to Atwood, yes. Did society fall into disarray because women were more sexually liberated? According to Atwood, yes. Did society fall into because of religious extremism? According to Atwood, yes. Did society fall into disarray because of Big Banks? According to Atwood, yes. All these can cause dystopias, that much is true, but in modern society where we still have all these issues and understand that this wouldn’t even be remotely possible makes her story one that provides no actual commentary.
This story is not written to be believable unlike the Hunger Games/Battle Royale/1984s which are all considered great dystopic commentaries because we can all imagine how current issues can spiral into those narratives. This story is written to shock only one group of people, white Americans, especially white women. This story is clearly intended for shock value, it’s intended to surprise people who think that these things can never happen to them, except if you look at history, the only people who this didn’t happen to were white women.
The book even concedes this, “My presence here is illegal. It’s forbidden for us to be alone with the Commanders. We are for breeding purposes: we aren’t concubines, geisha girls, courtesans. On the contrary: everything possible has been done to remove us from that category.”
Not to mention the horrors black women had to endure at the hands of the white masters. Not only does it reek of the racist suffragette mentality that, “women are the n****rs of the world” that heinously overlooked the struggles WoC faced but it allows perpetuates the shallow and ignorant mindset that the worst thing that can happen to a western woman is to be treated like a muslim woman. Its time we dead the narrative that something has to happen to a white women for us to understand the trauma and struggles felt by a LARGE population of women. This story is not unique, its uninspired, inorganic and most horribly it fails at its attempt to have the same cultural and moral impact as tragedies real women are going through to this day.