If there are any good sides to being stuck at home ill, then it has to be that it gives you plenty of quite time to read a book without the distractions of work or college etc... While reading The Handmaid's Tale, tucked up in bed, I was able to think about some of the more shocking things that I came across in the book.
Please note that this post is not connected to the series I am writing which works through this book in depth and detail. This is a one off post expressing my reaction to part of the book we were assigned to look at at home.
If you just merely read a synopsis of the book or a brief overview , then it would be very easy to say 'oh well, nothing is ever as pristine and perfect as it seems, there's obviously going to be something going on behind the scenes, however I found that while reading the book, I was caught into thinking in the way of Gilead, encouraging Offred not to do things for fear of punishment, and although the black market trade was of little surprise to me, the idea that somewhere like Jezebel's even existed was totally out of the question. I think Atwood has been very clever in making sure that the book isn't as predictable as it could well have been..
The first thing that surprised me about this section of the book, was the Commander's very sudden change of attitude. For night's on end Offred has been summoned to play scrabble and read books, and then all of a sudden, he requests that she should wear a feathery, sparkly, sequinned leotard and make up. My initial thoughts were just that the Commander had finally gotten bored of playing word games and enticing Offred with things she couldn't otherwise have, and he had finally decided to use her for what everyone initially thought: sex.
I can understand the existence of the Black market for alcohol and cigarettes, however Jezebel's; which in essence is a brothel, is everything that Gilead has ever fought against. It is in the same league as porn and strip clubs, ultimately men objectifying women. This is also the thing that shocks me the most about Moira being there. As a feminist, standing for women's rights, Jezebel's is the last place I would have expected to see her.
The final thing that took me by surprise was the presence of the Aunts. I first thought that may be it was just an enterprise run by a couple of rebellious commanders and guardians, however seeing the Aunts suggests that the women who end up here, are groomed for this just as much as the Handmaids are groomed for their job. An illegal part of society that people don't just ignore, but they encourage and support.
The whole thing shocked me, this supposedly pure and pristine society, seems to have some very dark stains indeed.
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