A Handmaid's Tale: Fine Dystopian Literature

Reading Response #2: A Handmaid’s Tale

1. Describe the conflict in this novel. What causes the conflict? How might the conflict be resolved?

In the novel, the biggest conflict seems to be Offred’s unhappiness with the world she’s in. The horrible practices which she’s succumbed to are inhumane, but there is nothing she can do about it and is constantly at the will of anyone who has more power than herself. She becomes aware of the possibility of her not achieving her “cultural obligation” because of the quite likely infertility of the commander, while she cannot take the easy way out through way of the doctor. I don’t see the conflict being resolved, but what could happen is either Offred will be released in life or death or she will find some way to cope with her situation. Either way do not promise an optimistic end.

2. Describe two of the minor characters. Do you like them? Why/why not?

The two minor characters I like the most in this book are Rita and Cora. They are very contrasting views from two women who are barely socially above Offred. One, Cora, is very content with her position and has very specific reaction to the well-being of Offred. She had been the one to find the last Handmaid from the house, a woman who’s end consisted of a noose and a chandelier. The other Martha, Rita, is less content with her position. She is very outspoken about the harm done to Handmaid’s and forgiven by society and is more bitter than Cora. The two are both more kind to Offred than Serena Joy, so they are instantly more likable characters.

Reading Response #3

1. What did you think of the ending? Did it resolve satisfactorily? Why or Why Not?

For a Handmaid's Tale, I actually did not like the ending. I was expecting something new and fresh, to coincide with the novel's newer ideas in a dystopian world, yet it offered the same ending as 1984. Though the character has not solved any of their problems, a possible solution or problem has arisen and the author has not revealed anything about what has happened to the character. It doesn't resolve satisfactorily just because there really is no resolution; the main character just enters a vehicle and then the story is over.

2. What do you think of the character at the end of the novel? How has the character changed from the beginning of the novel?

I had a lot of mixed feelings about the main character by the end of the novel. It seems that in this world, this character is the only one who sees the civilization for what it is: corrupt and monstrous. Unfortunately, the validity of the character is put into question when the reader sees the emotional scarring caused by Offred's past experiences. The story is told through the view of someone in desperation, so it offers a very close-minded view of how this world could be.

3. Why is this considered to be a dystopian novel?

In the perspective of the storyteller, the society is ludicrous. Men are hung because of things they did in the past that were legal but now crimes and there are women whose jobs are to birth babies in wedlock. There is nothing sane about the society presented, between the constant paranoia of the government and using mind-controlling techniques and the consistent unhappiness of every person in ever tier of this world. This novel is dystopian because it is a possible path for society to take.