Is The Handmaid's Tale a feminist novel?

Feminism is one of the most politicised cultural issues today, and Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' - for better or worse - has gained a reputation for being the 21st century 'feminist gospel' par excellence. This is despite Atwood's own protestations to the contrary, but in any case, it's worth examining how feminism, womanhood and gender politics are integral themes in the novel. Along the way, perhaps I'll be able to convince you with specific textual examples that the novel isn't perhaps so 'feministic' as popular culture would have us believe...

TIMESTAMPS:
03:25 - Satire of 'womanhood' and the neutering of the female body
10:48 - Challenging the poster 'feminist' archetype

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[xantecarter]

Hi Jen! Commenting this before I've watched the full video (only 2 mins in!) and the night before my A-Level Exam on this book. I have to say I've never viewed the book as that of the 'feminist' icon of modern literature, similar to how you feel. I think what Atwood prefers to draw on is the danger of extremity within politics and effects on wider society.

A good source of this is through the presentation of Offred's mother and Offred's own distaste towards her ability to be a good mother: we see her mother neglect Offred for radical feminist protest, which one, does not aid in stopping the destructive high speed train which is the Gileadean regime and two, leaves Offred to dislike her mother - a key human connection that is normally expected between women especially in times of unrest (which is interesting considering Gileads perversion of maternity which I wont rant about right now). What results after the flashbacks of Offreds mum is then a sour taste in the readers mouths of how damaging feminism as an extremist ideology can be, her demonstrations are futile and it could even be said that it draws even more divides between the oppressed when we should be coming together as one female body.
Therefore, both the autocratic regime and the feminist agenda is put, by Atwood, on the level playing field, in my eyes. It offers a sense of reality and a harsh wake up call to the extremities we already face in todays world (much like Piexiotos misogyny).

I think instead Atwood offers Offred as a nuanced and flawed narrator who doesn't hold herself to any extreme ideology - she is not loud in 'liberal' freedom like Moira and her mother, nor is she an enforcer of Gilead like Aunt Lydia and Serena Joy. Offred finds herself amongst these women as a complex modern FEMALE narrator in a canon of literature where this nuance is unforeseen. Offred recognises the parts she plays in the regime and regrets and rebels - she is not plainly a hero (which I think is what the series is trying too hard to portray her as) she is merely a normal person. We know that she atleast gets her word and herself (though not really confirmed) out there, perhaps thanks her modest acts of rebellion, where everyone around her who is loud is either taken down by the regime or goes down with it. I think therefore, Atwood urges us to constantly consider our political ideologies and actions and how they influence our society around it, therefore making HMT a critique on extremism, not JUST a feminist novel.

This is merely my interpretation on the novel having studied it for around a year, as always everyone views things differently, I look forward to seeing what you have to say!

[bpya]

hey jen! i appreciate your take on this and going into the literary aspects of this novel. i read this recently after had watching the show and thought it was a great. however with that being said, i would urge you to educate yourself on what feminist beliefs actually hold and try to stay away from enabling negative stereotypes of what feminists believe. while it has become a very polarizing topic and undoubtedly a political issue, part of the nature of what feminism stands for is going to be by making change politically. i think right now it's incredibly important for us to have literature that explores the woman's experience with oppression and having their rights stripped away. the state of women's rights right now in the US (not sure where you are from) is becoming more and more similar to the reality in the handmaid's tale. as someone who is part of the feminist community i and many others would greatly appreciate staying away from the "man hating" trope and focus on the similarities of what you were saying about gender expression does fall exactly in line with feminism. thanks for your insights though :)

[marlenerachor]

Well, the novel being a feminist critique means that it's criticized how women are treated like objects etc. Being feminist does not mean being anti men, does not mean being masculine presenting and wearing trousers. The views you state having at the beginning of the video are feminist. And centering complex women and women's rights in an dystopian manner makes The handmaid's tale quite feminist. Doesn't mean women have women's back, that's not the point of feminist critiques as women have internalized misogyny as well. Also matriarchy is not like patriarchy turned around at all. It's not suppressing men like patriarchy does. SO yes, it does matter that the handmaids are women and yes the novel is centering women's rights so it does contain feminist ideas.

[tylerchambers]

I have seen all of the tv show that is out so far, but not the book. As for the tv show, in every episode, at the beginning and the end of every day, all that June discusses, she does so through the lense of her womanhood and how everyone else (ok not EVERYONE else) treats such with contempt or indifference. All of the highs and lows of the tv show are seen through this lense, so unless what was adapted was a stereotype of the book as Feminist and not the actual book, (which I strongly doubt) then I think the answer is very clear.

[lilyhopwood]

hello :) I found it interesting how you spoke of the 'neutering' of the female body in Offred's mind. Could you not alternatively argue that, despite imagining herself as just flesh/ that she is a cloud, that this 'central object in the shape of a pear' (female reproductive system? - we covered this in class that Atwood used this imagery before in her poem half hanged mary) being 'more real than [she is]' gives the impression that actually it is that agency you spoke of which is fading away, leaving only her utilitarian function? I say this mainly because of the natural imagery which could link to fertility and the idea of a moon, which to me conjures up Artemis and divine feminity, alongside the idea of 'lunacy' aligning with the concept that Offred is trying hard not to have some kind of dissociative breakdown or go mentally awry. I've seen ideas that link this reclamation of her own fertility and the idea that she has an inner feminine world inside her body that the Commander cannot own to resistance and attempted mental escape from her situation - but I wasn't sure how this 'neutering' might fit in with that as an alternative perspective on how this scene is resistant, linking more to Offred's individuality rather than femininity. (I only go into depth to give context on where I struggle to understand, I'm very open minded to other ideas)

[jacobcolligan-jt]

so helpful and brought refreshing alternative interpretations!

[SIHLE.S]

Hey love all your vids ❤❤❤ may you please do a comparison between handmaids tale and Othello I think they both have interesting similarities

[hi]

hi jen. I noticed your love and relationships videos are missing a couple vids. Are you planning on finishing them anytime soon? Your analysis are simply brilliant and im sure theres plenty of other y11s who would likewise enjoy such vids!