The Handmaid's Tale is a novel by Margaret Atwood It has received a mixed acclaim and has been converted into a television series as well as a movie While there may be lessons to be learned, it is arguably most suited to very mature audiences, and the teaching of the novel in schools has caused concern among parents[1] It is important that potential readers and in the case of young students, their parents are aware of the contents and mood of the novel prior to making a commitment to study it deeply.
This novel contains lewd and deviant sexual content and that acts of copulation are dramatically and graphically described. It contains swearing and obscene language of the most repugnant type, that I would expect the students of the school are forbidden to use in their conversations and that any self-respecting person would abhor if such language is used in his presence. There are also vile and graphic descriptions of torture and gore - such as the use of shears to cut off women’s breasts. There is further perversity with doctors groping private sections of women’s bodies during a medical examination - and references to sucking penises. The presentation of spirituality in this novel contains of the prayers of women that they may be filled with semen.
Contents
Sadomasochism and lesbianism are alluded to, indulgence in pornography is presented as an amoral norm, that there is a negative and scary depiction concerning the mise-en-scène of giving birth, characters contemplate suicide, and adultery and fornication appear to provide fulfillment to the perpetrators. Even adults of worldly experience, and of far more maturity and resilience than your students, will find this novel despicable – particularly in the context of transfusing its motifs and implications on teen-agers through a year-long study of it.
Apart from the written text and its content, the study of it while degrading the minds of vulnerable young girls, will inevitably lead to the introduction into minds still in their formative stages and not accustomed to such a degree of depravity, nor awake to adult sexual ideas and desires, an imagination and outlook that may harm their intellectual and psychological growth and future relationships.
There are also other themes in this novel such as quasi-Christian fundamentalism, prostitution, manipulation of language, dystopian societies, birth control, abortion, date-rape and more. It may be reasonable to address some of these themes, but it would be justifiable only by using as a tool a novel far less graphic and less explicitly filthy than The Handmaid’s Tale where the obnoxiousness within very text of it cannot be avoided.
Positive Portrayals
There are ubiquitous reviews of the novel in which it is presented in a positive light and the advantages of its study highlighted[2][3] Some of the points to be extracted are regarding dystopic societies, irrational imposition of quasi-religious regulations on non-consenting citizens, the role of women and the abuse of power. It also has value as a time travel work since the protagonist relates to periods before the present narrative where life was extremely different, and at the end there is a scene where the period of the narrative is regarded as history. There is also lessons to be learnt from the various complex relationships between the characters. The motif of trust and suspicion, authentic friendship and betrayal are also brought forth.
Purpose of Engaging in Literature
The purpose of engaging in literature is to appreciate the beauty and potency of a language, and to understand the means and mechanisms employable to inspire sentiments and express opinions through its literature. Study of literature will equip students with the aptitude to understand and critically analyse themes contained within, and gain proficiency in formulating their own opinions using what they absorb from the authors, coloured with their own life’s experience and tempered by a sound moral framework. Students will become able then to clearly articulate their opinions and logically defend them, and to distill and refine them though further exploration and sharing. The ultimate objective should be that armed with such skills your students can be more powerful and influential human beings who may do good in their lives and in the lives of others – more effectively than if they did not achieve this power of knowing, understanding, interpreting, analysis, expression and persuasion.
To introduce the students to the joy of engaging in literature, the most beautiful and uplifting texts need to be presented to them, certainly in their youth. It is a disgrace to teach them a redemptive promiscuity before they have been shown the beauty of romance, courtship and marriage. Darker topics could be introduced by a teacher - without resorting to presenting scenes of dried orgasmic fluids on beds and penis sucking, contemplation of gang-rape, and imagery of women killed by hanging and their naked bodies exposed with their legs spread apart as described in The Handmaid’s Tale.
Conclusion
It is important to be informed prior to making a decision, and it is worthwhile weighing the pros and cons of this novel at the outset of a course of studies
References
- ^ "Is This Raunchy Book - The Handmaid's Tale - Recommended Reading at Your Child's School?". Counter Culture Mom. 2017-10-21. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
- ^ "The Handmaid's Tale Review ⭐". Book Analysis. 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
- ^ "The Handmaid's Tale Book Review | Common Sense Media". www.commonsensemedia.org. Retrieved 2022-06-27.