The Handmaid’s Tale, an American dystopian television series, has introduced a new character, Eden, who is 15 years old and deeply devoted to her nation’s ways. In its fifth episode, “Seeds,” the brides are literally children, with the handmaids Dolores and Brianna appearing young. The young actress, Sydney Sweeney, has been in various roles, including Troop Zero, I, Tonya, and even a Marvel movie.
The Handmaid’s Tale is based on Margaret Atwood’s classic feminist tome and has been interpreted as a commentary on sexism in the book of Genesis. Wives must agree to pick out a suitable Handmaid for the Commanders to impregnate, as being childless is a social taboo in Gilead. Daughters are a class of women in Gilead, the female children of Commanders, and may be forcibly adopted from Handmaids, Unwomen, and treacherous Econopeople. They are officially the children of a Commander and his Wife.
The series also introduces a new character, Eden, who is 15 years old and plays the ambitious young girl. The handmaids, Dolores, and Brianna, appear young, but their age remains unclear. The series also introduces a new character, Eden, who is a young woman who is deeply devoted to her nation’s ways.
In conclusion, The Handmaid’s Tale offers a unique perspective on the world of Gilead, with its characters and the twisted realities of child brides.
📹 Handmaid’s Tale Summary
Not original video and also not monetized! You should check out the original video linked below. Credit: Why should you read …
How old are the new Wives in The Handmaid’s Tale?
In the fifth episode of the second season of The Handmaid’s Tale, child brides were introduced. In Episode 5, “Seeds,” we learned about a “Pravaganza” that revealed what happens to young, fertile daughters in the Republic. The ceremony is disturbing, but the aftermath is worse. It makes Gilead even worse for two of the show’s main characters.
Spoilers for Episode 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale below.
How old is the young wife in Handmaids Tale?
2021–present: Mainstream success. In 2021, Grace started appearing in the Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale. She plays Esther Keyes, a 14-year-old girl who has been abused and married off to an older Commander. She was chosen for her ability to act scary and awful. Grace was the same age as her character. She said it was important to have a 14-year-old play the part because this 14-year-old is being abused. The show’s fourth season premiered on April 27, 2021, to positive reviews. Entertainment Weekly said Grace was memorable as a child bride, and Den of Geek said she was self-possessed. At the 73rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Grace was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, making her the tenth youngest actor nominated at the Emmys and the first child recognized for a guest acting award. In 2021, she voiced a horse in the animated film Spirit Untamed and played a young Annabelle Walliss in the horror film Malignant. Grace starred as Phoebe Spengler in the supernatural comedy Ghostbusters. Afterlife is the sequel to Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II. She cut and dyed her hair for the role. Her portrayal of the character shifted significantly during filming. She originally played Phoebe as robotically as possible, but the director Jason Reitman asked her to be more expressive. Grace said the character wasn’t like Egon Spengler, despite their similar looks and voices. The film came out in theaters on November 19, 2021. It made over $204 million, despite costing about $75 million.Most critics liked Grace’s performance in the film, but they didn’t like the rest of it. Afterlife has some good moments, mostly thanks to McKenna Grace. Gizmodo said her performance was unforgettable and star-making. Grace was nominated for a Critics Choice Super Award for Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, filming for The Handmaid’s Tale stopped. Grace and her dad wrote a sequel to The Bad Seed, knowing Lifetime wanted to air it. He wrote the film’s general structure, while she gave feedback on the dialogue. According to Lifetime’s executive vice president Tanya Lopez, the network loved Grace’s sequel idea. Grace, who played Emma again, found acting her own script unique. It wasn’t someone else’s interpretation. It was me acting out the scenes as I had envisioned them. The film, titled The Bad Seed Returns, premiered on Lifetime on September 5, 2022. It was the first project produced by Grace’s company, Beautiful Ghosts Productions, with her also serving as executive producer. In the same month, Grace reprised her role as Esther in the fifth season of The Handmaid’s Tale. Den of Geek said her screams in the sixth episode were like Linda Blair’s in The Exorcist. They showed how The Handmaid’s Tale protested against misogyny.
How old is Offred in The Handmaids Tale?
The novels’ main characters are Offred, the Handmaid of the Commander, and Serena Joy, Luke’s ex-wife and Nick’s lover. We don’t know her real name or what she looks like. She has brown hair, is 5’7″, and is 33. Before Gilead, she had a daughter with Luke at about 25. Moira was her best friend from college, and she had a difficult relationship with her mother. Offred is rebellious and full of passionate memories, but she seems stolid and devout to outsiders. She obeys Gilead’s laws. Some readers may think Offred is too passive. But her observations and emotions show that Gilead can’t control its subjects completely. The quotes below are all about Offred. For each quote, you can also see other characters and themes related to it. Each theme is indicated by a dot and icon, like this one: We wanted the future. How did we learn to be so greedy?
How old is Nicole in The Handmaid’s Tale?
June and her baby Nichole may get split up in season 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale. In The Testaments, Nichole is 16 and called Daisy. She lives with adoptive parents and doesn’t know her birth mother, June. She was separated from June at a young age and doesn’t remember it. Since Nichole is already a year old, there’s not much time left to separate her from June. We don’t know when The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 will be set, but it could explain why Nichole and June were separated. June is stuck with Serena Joy, the villainous wife at her former home who believes Nichole is her daughter. It’s possible Serena will take Nichole from June in season 6, setting up The Testaments. Nichole’s separation from June can’t be written out of The Handmaid’s Tale season 6. She plays a big role in The Testaments. Hulu will make a sequel series based on The Testaments. It will probably follow the 2019 book. In the book, 16-year-old Nichole is a key figure. She acts like her mother, a revolutionary.
Why is June a handmaid and not a wife?
Before, June was married to Luke and had a daughter, Hannah. At the start of the story, June was captured and made a Handmaid because of her husband’s adultery.
Elisabeth Moss; Joseph Fiennes; Yvonne Strahovski; Alexis Bledel; Madeline Brewer; Ann Dowd; O-T Fagbenle; Max Minghella; Samira Wiley; Amanda Brugel; Bradley Whitford; Sam Jaeger; Bruce Miller; Warren Littlefield; Reed Morano; Daniel Wilson; Fran Sears; Ilene Chaiken; Elisabeth Moss; Mike Barker; Eric Tuchman; Yahlin Chang; Sheila Hockin; John Weber; Frank Siracusa; Dorothy Fortenberry; Marissa Jo Cerar (supervising producer); Nina Fiore; John Herrera; Kim Todd; Joseph Boccia; Lisa Clapperton (associate producer); Margaret Atwood (consulting producer).
Why can’t Gilead Wives have babies?
In the story, a disaster has made most women unable to have children. The few who can still have babies are forced to become handmaids, women owned by the elite who are raped to get them pregnant. The TV adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale is set against a backdrop of climate change. Atwood said in interviews that everything in the book has happened or is happening somewhere in the world. The TV show’s producers are aware of the book’s legacy and have taken the same approach.
At what age are girls considered marriageable in Gilead?
Another issue of sexual morality in Gilead is child marriage. The book and TV series both show arranged marriages with young brides. The couple must have sex to have children. In the Middle Ages, girls were often forced to marry young. This was mainly because of the marriage practices of the aristocracy. Child brides were not expected to have sex until they were older because it was dangerous for them. Girls could marry at 12, but after 1300, the average age for women to get married was around 20. Thus, while Gileads practice of child marriage does have parallels in medieval law and practice, it was not the norm.
Marriage ceremony from BL Royal 10 E IX, f. 195 (source) Public Domain.
Sexual Politics Based on the Bible.
📹 The Handmaid’s Tale – What’s Come True and What Hasn’t (Yet)
As the shock of the supreme court overturning Roe v. Wade spread through the US, many turned to comparisons to The …
I really like this book, it’s one of my favorites! The book is based on the puritans in 16th century in the US. The idea of having a “handmaid” is from the bible, it’s about Rachel’s maid Bilhah who got pregnant with Jacob’s children, two sons i believe. Rachel claimed them as her own since she couldn’t have children.
Margaret Atwood’s Handmaids Tale is a near future novel. depicts the republic of gilead a fundamental christian regime, established a theocratic regime within Gilead. A few men have structured the regime in a way that they have most of the power, or that it is centralised to them, to control women’s reproductive rights. 1985 was when it was established, talks about the future of conservative society that makes them completely subservient to women. Types of Characters 1. Handmaid’s 2. Martha’s 3. commanders wife 4. Aunts and their clothing is colour coded Handmaids are subjected to state engineered rape… offered had a normal, middle income american life.. she was reduced to becoming a two legged womb, to aid gileads declining population. “resistiance” it drives the plot of HMT, how power can be yielded u fairly, creates the dystopian theme of HMT.
Well, I made some OSM Lore about this dystopian future: In 2195 when Holograms are on the rise, Quantum Computers are mainstream and AI is very popular, The Sons of Jacob tries to take over the USA, Which may Microsoft worry about it. So, They decided to make the last version of Windows before the fall of the USA. It is called “Windows 300.00” made 5 Years later after the US Parliment storm. Codenamed “Revolution” as for the spoof of the Iranian Revolution of 1979. This OS Features everythign that is featured in older/legacy Windows Versions so as well as DNA Scanner, Hologram Support and Quantum Printer. Richard Gates Jr. (The Grand-Grandchild of Bill Gates), had announced a final goodbye for Windows in the USA as it will turn into “The Republic of Gilead”. By then, The Sons of Jacob made their own operating system used in Gileadian Quantum Computers. For the aftermath, Microsoft still continues to be in buisness in the rest of the world and made a tech alliance with Shaodong Lithium Enterprises (A Taiwanese-American Tech Corporation). As Gilead dumps Windows, May as well cause a domino effect as the same thing happened to bigger corporations in Gilead like Samsung, Apple, LG, Verizon, T-Mobile, Exxon and e.t.c. For that, they must have to smuggle some foreign stuff to Gilead by rebranding them (Prior to Russia’s Sanctions in 2022). Microsoft and LT Holograms have worked on an ultimate OS called “Magnesium 1.0” using the hybrid Quantum/LT Kernel. Now, Microsoft and LT Tech resided to S.
The book had everything to be good, but the main character is absolutely stupid I’m sorry but Offred perspective is childish and redundant. Antwood described every detail about insignificant things but she did not do the same with very important facts that truly matters, like: introduce you to why and how did the war started, why the “Guardians of Faith” have ZERO power over things with that incredible name they have. I didn’t found this book interesting at all because of the way it was written, another perspective and develop of the characters would liven up the plot. Sadly I had to read it for a college exam! hahaha
We will never run out of babies, I dont nun know if you’ve noticed but the world is overpopulated. And women, educate yourself and get out of your social media accounts seeing what someone wore last week. Educate, own your choices, be good, be strong, and stop screwing stupid men who you later feel subservient to.
The series is the perfect example of what a totalitarian socialist or communist state can do to Americans. It’s very similar to what happend in Soviet Union, North Korea, China, Venezuela, Cuba and many others. The more I watch The Handmaid’s Tale the more I fear a socialist society. Never surrender to a totalitarian State. Very well done!!!
Wow…I was just curious cuz had no idea what story about… I feel I need to defend my faith. Lucky you. 😊 Christianity does have its faulty people… that’s kinda the point, we’re all faulty. But the marriage relationship as God intended, doesn’t seek to control women, women are too be cherished and taken care of. Women are called to submit, first to God, then their fathers until they marry. Notice not to submit all men, just husband. Submission is a choice made from a place of trust and personal strength. Husbands had it more difficult. They are called to give up their lives for their wife. Sacrificing themselves the way Jesus did for His Church. Christianity ideally values women. Marriage was set in place to represent the loving relationship God intended to have with us. I’ve unfortunately only witnessed maybe one lasting, loving marriage, and it wasn’t in my family… so it’s hard to understand. If you have an abusive, cold, disloyal relationship with your father and/or husband, usually both, that’s how you tend to see God. Anyway, if you really read the Bible, you will discover many amazing women. (Did you know that JESUS had a pagan prostitute in His bloodline? Rahab acknowledged YHWH was True God and protected Josh and Caleb at Jericho. As a result her whole family was spared.) And Queen Esther? She’s kick ass. Great story. Shows God has an ironic sense of humor. Ok. I miss teaching. Need a school that I can do as I see fit in the best interest of learners. What a concept huh?
I cannot tell why this book was written. Was it to show what the author thought the hidden goal of republicans actually is, was it to fear monger so people would start to hate republicans, was it to ridicule christians, was it just an innocent story and the politics are just totally random? What’s the message? My personal rule for art is that the meaning isn’t from the intention but the interpretation and I have to read the book but my first interpretation is that it’s a feminist propaganda piece.
Also keep in mind: Atwood has stated that she was initially inspired to write the Handmaid’s Tale based on what happened in Iran (a once progressive-leaning nation that suddenly shifted and became a patriarchal nightmare state) and Romania (a nation which forced childbirth to counteract a perceived underpopulation) during the20th century. She wasn’t predicting a future, she was telling the U.S it can happen here. And it seems it’s already started.
Actually, the main reason birth rates have declined so much is women’s education, sex ed and increased access to contraception. Before, pregnancy was an inevitability. Now it’s a deliberate choice, which is actually so much better because it means more children born today are actually wanted by their parents.
Margret Atwood has stated that one of the countries that inspired Handmaid’s Tale is communist Romania. I was born in 1980 in Romania and experienced the last ten years of communism, with all its darkness, cold and poverty. Fortunately, it ended before I came to an age where all girls were lined up like cows and forcibly pushed into an ob/gyn‘s office who would then check if they were still virgins and fertile. 😒 My mother was not that lucky. She lived through the most part of the time where women were „encouraged” to marry and have 2-3 children. But they also had to go to work work, which gave birth to „the generation with the key around their necks” to which I belong. No one really took care of these kids, there were no proper systems in place. The daycares and kindergartens were awful and I’ve had my share of violent and kids hating caretakers. You couldn‘t find contraceptives, abortion was illegal and men were raised to think that pregnancy is a woman‘s issue so most didn’t even try to keep the woman from getting pregnant. The government wouldn’t care if you had health issues and were at risk of having disabled children… like my mom was. Make no mistake! Banning abortion does not mean that women will not get them, if they need them. They will, just in very dangerous and dirty conditions which will lead to tragedies: life-long issues, trauma and even death. The people who make these laws, do not have the best interest of women at heart, not even of children. In the words of the great George Carlin: „They are not pro-life!
The part when they took away women’s ability to have jobs and have bank accounts was one of the most scary moments in the book for me. It was spoken of in such a way in the book that I knew even reading it back then, that this would be all too easy to do. I have relatives who couldn’t have gotten bank accounts without their husband’s or father’s permission. Who knew I’d relate to a lot more than just that one passage so closely.
Nothing makes me more angry than women who walk through doors opened for them by our foremothers and slam those doors behind them. If the world you’re campaigning for actually came to be you wouldn’t be allowed to speak either. It’s why Mrs Waterford is such an interesting character. Conservative women stand to lose just as much as the rest of us. They are betting on their association with the conservative movement to save them from the same fate as the rest of us. You are not the exception. Mrs Waterford isn’t spared the miserable existence of women in Gilead just because she’s a collaborator.
Does it have to go as extreme as Handmaid’s tale to be terrifying? I am a gay black middle aged man..I worked with ACTUP and various Aids organizations in the 80s and I’ve always been uneasy with the lack of vigilance for the defense of all people’s basic rights…gay men came dangerously close to being placed in “quarantine centers” with approval of reasonable people. No one remembers not even the ones who were there..because we’ve fooled ourselves into thinking we’ve made progress. The old ACTUP message was simple. Silence=Death. It applies to so much more now.
The part about children being taken from their parents is very real for First Nation kids as well. In Canada at least but idk why it’d be any different in the US. A lot of indigenous kids in foster care were forcibly taken away from their parents and any flaw with their parenting (which is also exacerbated due to racism) is mostly due to issues out of their control like poverty, racism, and government neglect. Of course these kids deserve a better life but a) who’s to say foster care would provide it? And b) why not help the parents to provide that life if they genuinely want to raise their kids.
You state that women not having the right to own property (or have a bank account or credit card) has not happened yet in the US. That is not correct. It has happened. It is US history. Women could not have a bank account until the 1960’s or a credit card without a male co-signer until 1974. Women could not own property until only white women who were married were granted the right in the late 1800’a.
I would actually like to point out that the Handmaid’s system and oppressions are very similar to what enslaved Black women went through. And while there isn’t an explicit mention of the group when described for unfit groups, minorities, particularly Black and Brown women, have frequently had the label of unfit or immoral placed upon them. A bit disappointed with the lack of discussion of race or intersectionality in this article, but good analysis otherwise.
Another point in the show I remember that I think parallels with real life is when June was going to refill her birth control prescription but needed her husband’s signature (permission) for it. That parallels with the fact that when women want/need a hysterectomy or tubal ligation, they also require their husband’s permission. This is still happening today.
Anyone who thinks The Handmaid’s Tale is too far-fetched or that it couldn’t happen in real life have A) not been paying attention to history or what is happening literally right now and B) suffer from a severe lack of imagination. A 10 year old rape victim had to travel out of state for an abortion because she wasn’t allowed one where she was resident. If that isn’t something straight out of The Handmaid’s Tale, I don’t know what is.
The Take, you are mistaken the first time that children are separated from parents in the United States did not happen in 2016 but during chattel slavery in the US in which children born on plantations were often separated from parents . It happened a. Second time to Native American children who were removed from their parents and forced to go yo boarding schools to remove the ” Indian ” out of them . The United States has a history of removing children from parents for centuries
Atwood was inspired by her time in east Germany under surveillance feelings and Romania under Ceausescu. Like the whole system where women where tested at work and checked if they had periods, investigate miscarriages. It’s very insulted that twitter people think that it’s just what happened to their ancestors in us and Canada and don’t even bother to read the end of the book where in passages of lectures are described our tragedy
I keep seeing everyone compare what’s going on in the U.S. right now to the Handmaids Tale. But personally I think Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler is a more accurate prediction. I would love to see you guys make an in depth article about that book and Octavia Butler’s work as an author.
It’s paralysingly scary to think about. I’m not in the US, but civil liberties are slowly being eroded here in the UK; a law to quash the right to protest being rushed past the House of Lords, an ALREADY tenuous position on abortion rights, the exportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda, and a growing attack on gender expression, lgbtq+ rights, and access to transitioning in post-Johnson leadership race policies rather than, like, the more immediate cost of living crisis and the crispification of our famously rainy country. (Damn, feels kinda good to write all of this out). To say that I’m seeing red right now has more than one meaning.
I remember my wake up call as a teenager. It was a combo between history classes and government class.Also, because of what I was reading and some good teachers. I couldn’t have imagined losing rights or our country that I was always taught was the land of the free limiting other people because of their faith. My teachers emphasized the importance of voting and I took it to heart. I wish all teenagers would become aware so they understand what is at stake if they don’t vote. I know when I was in school, most kids didn’t care about voting or what happened. They didn’t see a change in their day to day lives as their representatives changed. So what did they care. I know some people who are voting age that didn’t open their eyes till Roe v Wade was overturned last month.
It’s sadly true everything shown in The Handmaids Tale has happened somewhere before. Indigenous children were stolen for their parents in Australia (sometime in the 20th century I’m going off my history class) to try and erase their culture and assimilate them into white Australia. That trauma still effects the survivors and their descendants who have lost ties to their heritage.
The Take, I love what you guys are doing. Could you please do a article on this topic? The Pregnant Woman trope in the horror genre, such as: Women getting impregnated by aliens. Women turning into bloated hives for alien reproduction. A woman giving birth to a demonic child. A woman carrying a baby for an evil cult. Even men getting impregnated by an otherworldly seductress. Misogynist, sexist, rape culture, shock horror or just pushing a fear of aliens and demons? Alien vs Predator: Requiem and Slither are all levels of wrong. Don’t forget about Buffy The Vampire Slayer and The X-Files. There are some horror stories that show a betrayed woman turning into an alien mother, only to kill those who wronged her as a form of women empowerment. Is this problematic?
This situation has also happened in my country, Spain. From 1931 to 1936 we had a republic that advanced greatly in women’s rights, but there came our civil war and the nacionalists (conservatives) won. That was a HUGE set back in a lot of aspects that weren’t fully recovered until the end of the 70s and 80s. I am afraid I will have to live like my grandmothers who I can see they don’t like the life they’ve had
I read this book in 1999 when I was 13. Since then I’ve always quoted it as being my favorite book, because I said it’s what could happen so easily to the United States if religious people got the upper hand. I’m so scared to say I think I am seeing the transformation of the US into Gilead during my lifetime
Thanks for this article. The only positive thing about the US overturning Roe v Wade is how it’s made complacent people (including me) wake up and look around. I think people in many parts of the world are looking at their own laws and historical precedent and deciding what they need to do to NOT let this happen to them!
In an early version of the US constitution, there was a hierarchical list in terms of rights it went: 1. White, land owning man 2. His son 3. His dog 4. His guns 5. His cattle 6. His wife 7. His slaves Just perusal how trafficked Africans and the “Indian savages” (more words from a draft of the good ole constitution) were treated from forced sterilizations to scalping to hangings to rapes and birthing farms, these more recent events are not a far leap. The US has lived under a document that Thomas Jefferson said should not last more than 5 years, for centuries. America is stuck in an 18th century paradigm where women are one step below and above chattel.
Here is the thing that I hate. Books are morals and lessons. Yet the powerful people who read them ignore the message and just create the bad thing. So handmaids: they create Giliad instead of preventing it. Jurassic Park: ignore Ian’s famous quite and just clone animals (and maybe) make the park anyway. Gattica: oh let’s make the perfect race and wipe out any diversity. Jeez. It makes me so mad.
Whilst I absolutely adore The Handmaid’s Tale TV series and think it’s an excellent show, it is important to acknowledge that the story is told mostly through a white woman’s perspective, acting as though June’s experiences of oppression as a white woman in Gilead is representative of all women, when that isn’t the case. Many of the atrocities committed against the women in The Handmaid’s Tale have already happened in real life in some capacity to women of colour at other points in history and the show doesn’t do much to discuss that, even though it would be beneficial to do so and it would shed light on the history of the discrimination and injustices carried out against women of colour. Sure, the show has a diverse cast but the colour blind casting means that there’s no room for intersectionality and conversations about race and I think the show needs that.
When I went to a drag show during the summer, one of the last acts in the show was a number dedicated to the Handmaid’s Tail and the similarities to the destruction of Roe. V. Wade. It was very empowering and it brought tears to my eyes as the dystopian society in the book/tv show is a probable era that may happen.
All I have to say is people are asking this now? Right when the show came out (still have to read the book), my mom and I worried about this coming to play. While it seems backwards, right when some women have sexual freedom (bear with me for a second), there are people willing to exploit it whether through prostitution or the conservative fanatics like the ones in Giliad taking advantage of their fertility and masking it as surrogacy. I just repeated myself, didn’t I? Sorry. Each year, we see that we keep moving backwards. The civil rights movement is still going on. Women are still fighting for any rights. The LGBT community is still being outcasted and their books being banned for no other reason than just being LGBT. My god! Straight erotica books are worse. And those are not being threatened to be banned. I work at a library and my supervisor is making sure they don’t ban books or outcast anyone. She makes sure we provide a safe and inclusive environment. The library is a refuge for anyone so it is scary if we might have to refuse to hold books because the government tells us to. Maybe it is the volume of everything that is making everyone wake up to how awful the government is making this country.
In the U.S.A., women didn’t have the right to open a bank account without male representation until 1974. Yes, you read that right: NINETEEN-SEVENTY-FOUR was the year U.S. women were given the right to open a bank account without a man representing them. Roe V Wade happened in 1973. Women were literally allowed to have an abortion BEFORE they had the right to open a bank account in this country. I do not feel the explicit loss of financial independence for women is so far-fetched either.
Yeah, something similar has been happening in my country as well, since autumn of 2020. There was even a crazy motion by an extremist catholic organization to make abortion equal to murder and penalize miscarriages. Thankfully, the motion was denied but the fact that it even got presented to the Parliament in 2021… It is truly terrifying.
Here’s the thing: what’s in our most popular media, is what our society is actually the best-prepared for. For instance, the Avengers are about superheroes winning battles, and that’s reflected in reality: America wins practically every battle it gets into (the only reason why it lost Afghanistan is because it took on a goal of nation-building, which it failed at). Rather, what we have most to fear, is what’s not being talked about in our most popular media. We see that here too: The Handmaid’s tale featured a very sudden loss of our freedoms and a sudden transition to an extreme theocracy within just 5ish years. This isn’t what’s happening in reality. What’s actually happening, is a much more gradual, much more subtle decline. The overturn of Roe v. Wade was a 40-year project. And while January 6th was a bit of a sudden shock, even before then, the US had gone from a full democracy to a flawed democracy according to the Economist over the course of the previous decade, as the kind of polarization and erosion of public trust gradually led to stuff like Trump and January 6th. January 6th hardly affected the US’s ranking according to the Economist, so it should be treated more of as a sign of how bad things have gradually become rather than a threat of sudden loss of democracy. None of our media really show a gradual decline in action, and that’s what we should be most afraid of in my opinion. I’m not afraid of stuff like January 6th, I’m afraid of the general trends that led to January 6th continuing for another 40 years.
I truly believe we are well on our way to Gilead – women viewed as property with no choices – but unlike Gilead, we do not have a large waiting group of people to adopt these unwanted children and we do not have adequate institutions that can handle children who do not get adopted – this will be a nightmare for a future generation.
You guys missed the part compared to the book that the last bastion of women’s rights was in the Pacific Northwest. Recently the Pacific Northwest has been making their own pacts to govern protecting abortion rights and COVID protocols. It feels like more and more the country is revealing itself has a place of Territories than working as a nation: New England, The South, The Midwest, The Northwest Territory, and The Pacific Northwest
9:10 Women historically not being allowed to own property HAS happened. Women weren’t allowed to get credit cards on their own until 1974. For context, my mother was a legal adult by then – not that long ago. Women also would have had difficulty purchasing a home until that time. We have the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to thank for that. How long do you think until that’s done away with too?
A very detailed analysis, great quality as usual. I loved the research behind each topic, like the Equal Rights Amendment’s strongest opponent being female and also “immoral” women being incarcerated in the past. I think the scariest thing about America today is that the government doesn’t reflect the values of the majority and gets closer to eroding the line of church and state, and novels like this one are critical and necessary to remind us of how easily oppression occurs when we get complacent.
So basically, from my understanding through this article, it sounds like the Handmaid’s Tale is restarting the world back to the very beginning. Turning women back into traditional housewives, banning any relationship or marriage that is not straight, allowing men to lay with multiple women while still legally married. It feels like the men in this novel and TV series are literal children of the devil himself, and women are their playthings that they can discard at any time. And what’s even scarier, is that our world today, could be under the influence of the devil himself as well.
you know just something to think about for a future article essay, what animal protagonist narratives teach us (considering some narratives can be about environmental concerns, or allegorical for classism, enough of them are essentially centered for family/kids entertainment, when there’s also enough adult sitcoms about/with anamorphic animals), let alone the long history of animal actors(at most before cgi was perfected, it clearly took hours to train animals, just to get the right scenes)
@9:25 Women not being allowed to own assets or have access to money has happened in the US (and other countries). In the late 1970’s women were granted to the right to have a bank account, loan, mortgage, etc. without their husband or father’s permission (i.e. Equal Credit Opportunity Act). Also, in the recent past property was handed down to the next male in her family or her husband.
Everything in this article is why I’m moving out of the US and going to Australia (I’m a citizen) in a few weeks. That said, I DO want to point out that schools and daycares have fever policies for a reason so IMO June was the a-hole in that scenario – she DID medicate her to get around the fever policy and given how dangerous fevers can be for children, and how illnesses spread through children, it’s really crappy thing to do.
These articles are great and the point is great so I hate to be that pedantic guy – BUT: Editing explicitly cap’d Gavin Newsom (with a DeSantis chyron) as Ron DeSantis, and Kaleigh MacKnnienneiebfbs(sp?) for Tomi Lauren. Not huge, but explicit. The bad people deserve to have their bad faces shown. That’s all. Great work!
I’m not really sure where to place myself on the spectrum as feminist or ally but I know I can’t speak from a woman’s internalized perspective and only as someone who’s in support and has only ever lived as a man but I put myself through this whole experience largely in service to the women I know and god d I share your concern. This has quickly spiraled into one of my favorite websites on YouTube.
I’m very worried the US might realise that by banning abortion it has created greater incentive for fewer kids and start looking for a way to “increase the population birth rate”, because then some states and people may try and introduce laws and such to have fewer contraception available and fewer women in jobs.It’s a very implausible idea at the moment, but America sure doesn’t seem like it’s going to stop rolling things back.
I’ve never seen or read handmaiden’s tale because a friend described it to me and it just honestly seems too disturbing to be enjoyable for me. I honestly don’t think our society would go this far, but I didn’t think abortion would basically become illegal either… it’s honestly crazy the times we’re living in and the multiple ways it’s burning. I hope there’s positive change soon.
Maybe this is an unpopular opinion but I think that the Handmaid’s tale is a white feminist tale because it’s primarily about white women and their struggle with patriarchy. Within the book, all Jewish people are sent to Israel (without grappling with the fact that Israel is a settler-colonialist state) and black people (Children of the Ham) are sent to the Midwest, essentially doing away with the discussion of the intersections of race and gender. Further to this, I think her usage of Iran as an example of a Gilead-like country does away with a lot of the nuance about the Islamic Revolution. For example, the reason why Iran is so bad for women now is because of imperialism; the CIA overthrew Mossadegh’s progressive Democratic Socialist regime and placed the Shah instead. He then led a Top-down faux progressive white revolution that forcibly modernised the country without the popular support of the people. Due to this, Khomeini was able to be seen as the spearhead of the Revolution and seize and it led to the popular belief that women’s rights was a Western Kaffir (Disbeliever) idea. The short and long of this (admittedly very long) rant is that the book falls short in many ways in terms of considering patriarchy as a system of oppression that oppresses not only white women but black women, SWANA women, South Asian women, Indigenous women, and East and Central Asian women.
I feel like you missed a couple of nuances with this article. Most of the things mentioned in the article happened one way or another but the victims were usually black and indigenous people. I am a little over the constant comparison to Handmaiden’s Tale cause it centers around white cis women while ignoring other minorities negatively affected by these kinds of political changes. Plus people quoting the show’s “badass moments” or dressing up as a handmaiden as some sort of protest feel so.. performative? I don’t know about you but I don’t wanna become “a badass” I don’t wanna be pushed to extremes to see what I’m capable of? The fact that one of the last points the article makes is that “June becomes a rebel/badass” sits a bit weird with me. Please don’t romanticize something that would likely be one of the most traumatic events in your life.
A sitting US Senator, Katie Britt, the same woman who did 2024’s widely panned SOTU address response, just released a bill that would establish a federal database of pregnant people. Trump said in a truly terrifying interview a week prior that it would be just peachy for states to monitor pregnant people. The implications of this are stunning. Think about how that would be accomplished, how invasive and abhorrent. Are we talking about registering when they first get their periods, when they stop at menopause? Will over the counter tests still be allowed or will we have to go to a federal clinic? The direction we’re heading is terrifying.
it has been a few months since roe v wade has fallen and news has come that young girls have become pregnant by their rapist. many women have been horribly injured because of problems during pregnancy and the doctors were afraid to intervene because the fetus still had a heartbeat (but no brain functions) and it almost cost these women their lives
Disappointed that the criticism that many WOC have towards the handmaid’s tale and it’s use as an analogy by primarily white feminists hasn’t been discussed. Frankly, I think it is a pretty glaring oversight, and only discussing the point of view of white women on this is an interesting and unfortunately telling choice.
@ The Take – okay there is no such thing as a “don’t say gay bill” in Florida. It’s the Parental Rights Bill in education 1557, you can read it for free for yourself on Florida’s Senate page. It’s only 7 pages long and it essentially prohibits schools from hiding medical information from parents. It literally has nothing to do with gayness at all. You’ve been lied to about the bill. Don’t take anyone’s word for it, read it yourself then make up your own mind.
I’m Australian and the main difference between us and Americans is the religious factor. Americans appear to be way more conservative due to their beliefs whilst in Aus we still have religious people but it doesn’t work against the population in general when it comes to healthcare. To not have access to abortions would not ever happen here.
Conservatives make dumb suggestions, saying they will adopt the children. But who will carry the child, deal with the medical expenses, and provide food and shelter for the mom the 9 months she has to carry the thing? If they want to stop abortions so badly, maybe they should come out of their pockets to make sure healthcare, food, and housing is universal. But they don’t want that either. They also don’t want taxes to fund the foster care system, either. I’m convinced they love to see people suffer.
This really makes me want to find ways to get all male leadership out, it’s time we see what some smart women can do for this world. I was just posting on another article, we will remain victims if we don’t fight for our rights and fight to do the right thing. If we do nothing rather than support the right things, then we are only being a part of the problem. We are only helping bad people and bad things to happen, unjust laws to be made and once those laws become enacted, your lack of support for the right thing now effects you whether you like it or not.
Hello, I have one suggestion; re-edit the article to accurately use an image of FL Governor Ron DeSantis when mentioning his name; because the current article uses a clip of CA Governor Gavin Newsom when referencing Ron DeSantis. We do not want this misinformation available. It will be Gavin Newsom (D) v. Ron DeSantis (R) battling for POTUS in 2024. Make the correction and repost. Otherwise, very good, poignant, and timely article. I don’t believe people realize how close we are to the end of the American Democracy Experiment.
I think the article should mention that the right for a woman to open a bank account in the US is only 52yrs old.. my dad is older than that right. My grandmother was older than that right. I’ve got cousins who are almost the same age as that right. And I’m still in my 30s Yet prior to 1970.. Husbands and boys could open a bank account but women couldn’t open an account on her own.. without his permission.. nor own a credit card. Course most people kept 💸 cash back then.. but without a bank account you would have a hard time saving and definitely couldn’t participate in the stockmarket no wonder there’s still a distrust of banks 😒 in some communities, my family still hates debt cards.. for probably similar reasons Cuz banks use to be sexist and racist.. we all know about how banks over charge poor people and POC.. Trevor Noah made a joke about it once when he opened his 1st American bank account
It is surreal looking at the US from an outside perspective (I´m Danish). Our countries are very different, so I could easily comfort myself that I live in a country where we all have access to medical services and free education, so we should be smart enough not to take away anyone’s rights, right?? But sadly we always have politicians so far on the right they can’t even see the right leaning moderates. I recall hearing of at least one politician lamenting abortion rates in Denmark, and one of the worst of the right leaning parties is currently running a campaign exclusively against gender queer people. I really hope we as a planet can turn this ship back in the correct direction.
In our world it’s almost impossible to have children due to uprising costs/crippling debt, childcare funding at almost costing 50% of your monthly income, medical, social inconsistencies, lack of support from families, mental health and high adoption costs, and a strain on our social services system from socioeconomic and systemic issues. Taxing half of the population at almost 40% of their incoming making it almost impossible to afford to start a family while the other half who have 3-6 children say “screw it! It’s not worth it to work, I’ll just live in squaller collecting assistance.”
The entire premise of the Handmaid’s tale was based o Atwood taking what happened to black and indigenous women in the past and have white women cosplay these situations in the future. Because no one makes that connection that’s why you unironically made this article, this is nothing new, its only just now effecting you
One thing my 78 years have taught me, the hard way, is that women in power positions in the patriarchy are more than delighted to slam the doors to equal rights on the fingers of women less well connected..It’s called entitlement and those with entitlement are born to it…..or mind twisted into that program,. Entitlement becomes interpreted as.a sign of being better/smarter than the average woman.
Slight correction- When you said Tomi Lahren, you showed Kayleigh McEnany. But we get it: Same difference, lol Our Handmaid’s Tale similarities are indeed disturbing, but some of the differences are even more eerie. Atwood didn’t account for dumb ********** like Marjorie Taylor Green gaining power, too
While I pretty much totally agree with most of the opinions previously posted here…I think in some ways, this is also actually a very “Canadian” reaction to the slowly back-sliding social norms in the US. Because Margaret Atwood is, indeed, Canadian. And here in Canada, most of us watch the US news/current events compulsively, due mainly to the heavy influence US culture, politics, and policies have upon the entire world (but especially upon Canadians). However, we are vastly more progressive than the American public. Canada officially legalized non-cis, non-heterosexual, and all other forms of marriage between any two consenting adults an entire decade before our southern neighbors did. And today, in 2024, there are very few of our population (even in our Conservative Party) who would ever want to even TRY to change that right. Our Prime Minister even made very public statements in the wake of the “accidentally” leaked Alito opinion (prior to the actual overturning of Roe) to assure any and all American women that, though they may potentially have to pay ‘out-of-pocket,’ all would be free to seek ANY form of healthcare (reproductive or otherwise) in Canada – though don’t many US citizens essentially pay out-of-pocket for a significant amount of their medical services anyways? I know I certainly always had to, in the 19.5 years I lived there – and that was even under an oil-industry executive’s healthcare plan (ie my father’s)! Since, as a culture, many Canadians tend to define themselves as specifically NOT American (or maybe even just a politer, better-educated version of American), is it really any wonder that many Canadians tend to react to many of the more-conservative US politics/movements/trends/policies by moving in the complete oppite direction?
Interesting article, but I feel like the analogies between this story & current real life events overlook that HMT is based in a white, cisgender, heterosexual, middle class perspective. I honestly find series June to be a frustrating character because she’s layered in so much plot armor, and so many characters suffer for her sake (and the sake of the plot). That’s not a “badass”, that’s the white savior trope with a fresh coat of paint.
“First they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist; Then they came for the socialists and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist; then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist: Then they came for the jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.” -MARTIN NIEMÖLLER
The Take, I love your articles, but your lack of discussion about topics such as this, without an intersectional approach is incredibly tone deaf. Black and Brown women have historically endured all of this and more. I don’t understand why once White women seem to be affected that discussions like these are brought to light, and why BIPOC writers who have written more in depth about these topics are not mentioned, acknowledge or given credit.
this article is severely lacking an intersectional lens considering that Black and Indigenous women have been living in a version of the handmaid’s tale reality for DECADES. But only now that cis white women are also getting a taste of this reality is it a problem. I really expected better from this website in terms of pointing that out, very disappointed by this take
I hope that they further discuss lgbtq+ story lines…. They mainly focus on the gay and lesbian aspect… and show some bi but as far as transgender identities… non existent…. I’m sure that trans folx would also be murdered for existing or if forced back into the roles assigned at birth would maybe even commit suicide… trans men would be forced into a handmaid’s role if they had a functional uterus and if not then sent to the colonies… maybe a commander if they also passed as a via-male… and as for trans women, they could in theory become a protected commanders wife if the trans identity was unknown or they looked cis-female gender enough…. Otherwise they’d likely also be sent to the colonies or murdered…. All those could be applied to non binary folx as well… I shutter to think of that at all….
While some people may criticise the actions of the Soviet Union and former Communist Party states in the 20th century for various reasons, one thing they did right was to empower women’s access to healthcare and reproductive rights. Abortion was legalised in the Soviet Union in 1920 & 1955 (banned in 1933 during the Stalin era), Yogoslavia in 1952, Hungary in 1953, Poland in 1956, Bulgaria in 1956, Cezechoslovakia in 1957, Cuba in 1965, East Germany in 1972. One exception was Romania, it was banned from 1967-1989 by Nicolae Ceaușescu with Decree 770, to increase population growth.\r \r In comparison, capitalist countries only legalised abortion much later. Abortion was legalised in the United Kingdom in 1967, Canada in 1969, the United States in 1973, France in 1975, Australia in 1998.\r \r Looking at modern day US in 2022, it appears that America is the country that is turning towards anti-democratic, authoritarian fascism, the exact thing it accuses other countries of.
@The Take. I am not too thrilled that in the mention of Desantes you showed California’s Gavin Newsom. Not only is this a wrong representation, but you’re showing a man that stands on the opposite end of the political spectrum of the person being mentioned. This should have been addressed prior to posting.
I see alot of comments on Black/brown slavery: Historically, It wasn’t/isn’t only black, brown or Asian women. People seem to forget that or aren’t taught about it in school. Enslavement was based on societal status, rich/poor, heritage and anything their family was accused guilty prior to themselves that carried on for generations. White women were enslaved in masses as well but since it was the Christian/Catholic churches-now other religions too..it wasn’t officially called ‘enslavement’. That is exactly what it was. North America is full of white women who didn’t want to come here(not all of course) The males with their PC’s (Penis Clubs) hid behind their God and got away with it for thousands of years. All women were raped, beaten, slaughtered, enslaved as prostitutes against their will, forced to have litters of children, had NO say, couldnt vote, werent allowed to read, write or go to school and more. These things are still happening in other countries on a grand scale. Sadly, one of the first things that ALWAYS “kicks into high gear” at the beginning of a war? Rape, gang rape, beatings, kidnapping and Enslavement. Killing of women (and children)so they cant procreate more fighters. No matter what race they are. Women are always targets because we are the ones to re-populate. Only need a couple of men but that’s a huge reason why women are targets in battle. Most women, like the Handmaides, Aunts and Martha’s in H.T. did what they were told or they suffered brutal consequences or death.
I enjoy your commentary on film, you obviously know a lot about it. However this does not mean you know how the US government works, nor does it mean you have actually read any of the opinions, nor any of the bills. This article is like you did a movie review based on someone else’s review, who also didn’t watch the movie.
This article is either intentionally manipulative or just plain stupid. There is a HUGE difference between expecting women to be responsible with their OWN bodies and “forcing them to carry children”. I was going to go through every thing you said that is an outright lie or based on non facts, but it’s literally every thing in this article. DON’T USE THE VIEW AS A FACT SOURCE!!!
I agree with the whole thing except for the trans narrative. There are a lot of problems with that movement like exposing young children to drag, all the lies about hormones, etc. Transing autistic and gay/lesbians is horrifying. I’m a lesbian but I identified as trans when I was younger because I wanted to escape gender roles and homophobia. My dysphoria was strong and crippling so I went to therapy and worked on my other issues and my dysphoria started going away…like it does for most children and teens suffering from it. If I would have transitioned it would have been my biggest mistake of my life. Since transitioning wasn’t an option for me until I was 18, I had time to out grow it and embrace myself. My dysphoria is almost 100% gone.
3:00 Dr. David Gunn, Dr. John Britton, volunteer James Barrett, employees Shannon Lowney and Lee Ann Nichols, cop and security guard (in spare time) Robert Sanderson, Dr. Barnett Slepian, Dr. George Tiller (shot and hit 2 different occasions, btw — survived the first but not the second), and SO MANY MORE disagree with this. This is only recent to like… 2015ish, btw. There are several more since then.
I don’t really like that our society is becoming anti-natalist. We used to have a policy of “abortion must remain safe, legal and most importantly rare.” I feel the principle of “abortion as a necessity” has transformed into “abortion is a liberty.” Regardless of whether Roe is overturned or abortion is available on demand, I believe we’re using the availability of abortion as a remedy for a generation that is anxious, depressed, self-loathing, indebted and pessimistic. Our attitudes towards having children reflect our own beliefs for what we think the future will be like. I speak to many women my age who look at the possibility of having children with remorse and disgust and can’t help but wonder why they believe suck things for a human made in their image.
Okay I love God but I think the separation between church and state is very important right now they’re trying to change that if you don’t want it to become the handmaid’s tale then do something about it damn it because it’s getting that way already I’m getting scared if we allowed our country to be turned into a religious theocracy we’re going to be in a lot of trouble every woman that wants rice is going to be a lot of trouble
I do not disagree with many of you about the fact that women of color have suffered similar atrocities and far worse through slavery & in other countries but living in a predominantly white ruled society which I don’t agree with but trust me I work for a nonprofit & know of how bad the deck is stacked & has always been against my black & Hispanic friends but that being the case I think the book being written by a white women with the main character being white has a better chance at penetrating white women as relatable. Unfortunately white women probably won’t be as affected if the main character was black & as sad as that is anyone looking at the world honestly knows that is the reality. Again agree with you in the need to get the message out about what slavery really was and what happens to black women still today but this has to resonate first with white women before they will be able to expand their compassion to the brutality suffered by all women of color. Hope I made sense! You know don’t know you but maybe this could be something you might yourself take on as a book to convey these things. Just look at what white suburban moms are doing regarding CRT all over this country. The fact that they are trying to rewrite history especially about slavery should be example of this. I do not believe this is right and fight for a world of equality for all but the sad truth is if this did do what it should in terms of properly showing the disparities occurring today or in our brutal past to woman of color the show would not be a hit and probably never be allowed to be read with the current book bans we are seeing.
It doesn’t take long for something like this to happen with fours years Hitler for one example took Germany from one of the most progressive states to to control society it’s a scary state of affairs going on in the US and only Voting wil change things fromm local level to the top levels one must VOTE. Even when they are trying to rig that as we speak.
Government taken children away from parents on “supposedly” moral grounds has always been the case in certain communities. And since it was deemed accepted or unimportant because it wasn’t occurring in their backyards, it only makes it acceptable to expand the practice to include all communities. Divide and conquer is what they say AND did or are doing.
The scariest thing about this is the fact, that something similar already was the case in some european countries during the 20th century. And no, I’m not talking about Nazi Germany with their “Lebensborn” progect..! Eugenic was very popular even after the war. One of the best examples is the very democratic and neutral Sweden. There people could be sterealized for “asosial behaviour”. The last case of this kind of execution occured around 1970, when a 17-year old female was steralized for a relationship with a biker.
Foster Care and group homes for children that are citizens already exist. Concentration camps for migrant children is just a more extreme and publicized version. Women only got the right to have bank accounts and credits cards without men in the 1960s and 70s. Abortion clinics and doctors have a history of being bombed and murdered. That’s because they kept clinics that provide abortions separate from other medical offices putting potential targets on anyone that enters one. Rape within a marriage was legal until 1993 in the US. And what few people realize is that the case that prompted the change was the Ivana and Donald divorcing. We’ve never been far from Gilead. It was just too painful to think about. But we can’t ignore it anymore. (Women aren’t any less fertile in real life when not counting forced sterilization. Men are. If memory of recent studies I’ve read up on serves. And choosing smaller families by having children later was weirdly placed in the article imo.)
One interesting aspect of culture is that male low sperm count is affecting human reproduction where one could imagine a pick-and-choose aspect of forced human reproduction due to low birth rates within the population . Peter Zeihan has been speaking about the effects on China of that country’s having limited birth rates in the historical past which now affect the size of both the current work force and military.
Reminds me of the Matt Binder/Tim Pool article. Tim Pool keeps insisting that leftist Matt Binder is exaggerating the beliefs of the far right but his far right guest constantly interjects to reassure Binder that he’s right and to engage with him on the merits of his actual beliefs instead of the version of his beliefs that centrists and liberals keep pretending exist. This seems to be the reality though. If you want to anticipate the right, don’t ask a liberal, ask a leftist. Leftists and fascists are the only ones who seem to notice what fascists are up to.
I haven’t seen the last two seasons of this, but hasn’t the world in this universe been going through a global infertility and environmental crisis for decades prior to Gilead forming? And there’s a heavy implications that a decent amount of the US (in the show at least) was nuked or suffered some sort of biological weapon attack. This seems like a very far-fched comparison.
What always confuses me is people expecting us to become Gilead, while ignoring the stark cultural differences between Giles’s and the USA. I’m not saying that, the US couldn’t become a conservative hyper nationalistic dictatorship, but to my knowledge no one trying to seize power is dreaming up something as bizarre as Gilead. (Color-coded uniforms, 19th-century clothing, etc.) The taliban enforces a dress code but that dress code is consistent (if extreme) with Afghan culture. i don’t think Trump is looking to install a theocracy either. I think the US would be far more likely to turn into something resembling Francoist Spain.