Expanding Limitations

By Nicole A Pope Guest Writer

The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel filled to the brim with razor-sharp prose, which makes it difficult to select a favorite quote, but I think there is one quote that perfectly encapsulates both the style and themes present in the novel: 

It is strange to remember how we used to think, as if everything were available to us, as if there were no contingencies, no boundaries; as if we were free to shape and reshape forever the ever-expanding perimeters of our lives.  

The novel is in the dystopian genre. It depicts a world that is vaguely familiar to our own, but a few major changes make it look almost unrecognizable. The narrator of the story is Offred. The novel chronicles her unique experience as a member of a society undergoing a transition. She remembers a time before the world turned against her favor and she is currently trying to survive in a new, darker reality. 

The future in the novel is bleak. Birth rates have declined dramatically because of environmental (pollution and an overreliance on nuclear power) and societal (more women working or deciding to take birth control) factors. However, it is the women who are blamed entirely for the declining birth rate. Medically, this society understands that male infertility could be a contributing factor, but the men are never blamed. Instead, the conservative men, and some women, in this society believe that women’s liberation is the root cause of lower birth rates. They see women having rights as a negative thing that is detrimental to the future of humanity. These conservatives want a return to the patriarchal past. 

The issue of the declining birth rate causes friction between different political and religious factions, which in turn leads to a second American Civil War. A violent group of terrorists, who believe in the ideas associated with Christian fundamentalism, take over the government. Once in power, they suspend the Constitution and establish a number of laws that make society more patriarchal. Women are slowly stripped of their rights. Initially, they lose access to the money in their bank accounts (all that money now belongs to their husbands) and they are fired from their jobs en masse. Soon, they lose all bodily autonomy. Fertile women are forced to become Handmaids and produce children for the elite members of this new society. 

The novel is very purposely rooted in historical fact. All plot elements are inspired by historical facts or real life events, and that is why it consistently remains relevant. History is a circle not a straight line, and those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. People never learn. 

Throughout history the rights of women have been trapped in a vicious cycle. One moment rights are being awarded and the next they are ripped away. This idea harkens back to the quote mentioned at the beginning, Offred once lived in a world where she had the freedom to decide how her life would play out, and now she is forced to follow strict rules. It is a very discomforting feeling to have freedom and then be forced into a cage. 

I remember vividly when Roe v Wade was overturned. I was sitting in the backseat of my parents’ car and my sister was scrolling through her phone. Mundane conversations were interrupted when my sister announced the awful news. I felt hollow. I was shocked. I was terrified. I have never been pregnant, nor do I ever want to be pregnant; children are annoying and being around them exhausts me. However, the future is uncertain (I could accidentally get pregnant) and I felt comforted knowing that I had a safety net. I loved having a choice, but now I do not. Abortion is now illegal in Missouri. 

In the novel, Offred fantasizes about the past and longs for a time without limits. The theocratic government of Gilead has created a civilization where men rule supreme and women have no rights. Women are systematically raped and forced to bear children. The laws and beliefs in Gilead are almost entirely rooted in religious texts, The Bible in particular. Our democratic government preaches ideas about the separation of church and state, but I find those words to be meaningless when said by liars. I have only seen very religious people support anti-abortion legislation; people who could be classified as fundamentalists. I will never understand pro-lifers. The option to have a legal and safe abortion does not mean everyone has to get an abortion; just because someone has the right to choose, does not mean you must make the same choice. The overturning of Roe v Wade is one way in which our government has continually limited the rights of individuals, especially women. I relate to Offred and fully understand the sentiments she shares because I once lived in a world where I was free to choose and now, I am limited, because someone else has the opinion that abortion is morally wrong. I dream of a time without limits.