Book Review: The Handmaid’s Tale Part 1
Book Review: The Handmaid’s Tale Part 2
In a moment of honest prayer Offred wondered if Gilead was what God intended to happen I would think not as duty and obligation replaced love. 1st Thessalians in the New Testament said that the Holy Spirit was not to be quenched. It is as if this was done in Gilead.
Prayvaganzas were held for all women to participate in. They could show their obedience and piety for Gilead. Several activities were held at this gala. Arranged marriages happened to men of lower rank and women who became Econowives. Leaders praised that single bars, blind dates, dating sites, divorce, day care centres and spousal abuse no longer existed after Gilead took power.
Before becoming a Handmaid, Offred, her husband and daughter tried to escape to Canada. They told the border guard they were going for a picnic. When the border guard seemed to take a long time looking at their passports, Luke quickly jumped back into his car. Putting it into reverse, the three of them drove sown a wooded road. Eventually they stopped and tried to run across the border into Canada.. Unfortunately they were caught. Since then Offred knew nothing of what happened to either one.
A night came when the Commander gave Offred an evening dress saying they were going on a date. They went to a hotel, rented a room and relaxed in a nightclub I believe was called Jezebels.
Though officially forbidden, places like the hotel and nightclub existed so men and women could drop the masquerade and be themselves.. It was a place where natural instincts could come out into the open and not be repressed. Also, senior officials could seek business from other countries.
When the USA was overtake by Gilead forces, disappearances became a common occurrence. Families were separated, individuals were sent to where it was deemed necessary. Prior to becoming Offred, she and her husband managed to enter her mother’s apartment. It had been totally trashed, the mother was gone, possibly sent to the colonies.
A day came when a salvaging was held. It was for women only. A salvaging was announced the day before so there was not no time to prepare for it. Salvaging was when one guilty of a crime was hanged. This day two Handmaids and a Wife were to be hung.
When the Salvaging was done, the Handmaids were ordered to form a circle to participate in a Particicution. A male, once a guardian, was brought into the middle of the circle. He had been severely beaten. The story was that he had raped a pregnant handmaid and the baby died. The Handmaids went into a collective rage and tore the man apart. The truth was that the male was helping women escape to Canada.
Ron Murdock has lived and worked in Western Canada all his life, and will continue to do so until his last day on Planet Earth. He has a good number of interests and hobbies which include dogs, freight trains, baseball and astronomy. Ron wants to know what the truth is, and nothing but the truth, and will do what research it takes to find it. The best compliment he can get is when a person says his writing, or what he says, gets them seeking.
