https://padlet.com/grafshop000/owqj7rerchelruup Hope Grafstrom en-us 2022-01-19 17:42:55 UTC 2022-02-21 17:21:51 UTC hello@padlet.com grafshop000 https://padlet.com/grafshop000/owqj7rerchelruup/wish/2001073041 The Handmaid's Tale begins in an old gymnasium then suddenly cuts to a Victorian-style house. The main character Offred, who was named June in the "Before," tells readers about a near dystopian future in which a cult-like religious group has taken over the United States. June is a very strong-willed woman who is determined to find out what happened to her "Before" husband Luke and her kid as well as her best friend Moira. Though I don't know a whole lot about June yet, I can tell that she is going to do all she can to get her old life back. She explains some of the different roles in this society which is called The Republic of Gilead. There are Handmaids (which June is), Commanders and their wives, Aunts, Marthas, and Guardians. 

The Handmaids are pretty far down on the food chain so they have little say in what they do which June hates because she used to have so much freedom in her old life, "There is more than one kind of freedom, said Aunt Lydia. Freedom to and freedom from" (Atwood 24). I am really liking this book so far because it is such a visual read. Margaret Atwood goes into such detail with her words that they play like a movie on the pages. I can already tell that The Handmaid's Tale is going to be a book that is impossible to put down because of it's intense and ominous plot line.]]> 2022-01-19 17:47:11 UTC https://padlet.com/grafshop000/owqj7rerchelruup/wish/2001073041 grafshop000 https://padlet.com/grafshop000/owqj7rerchelruup/wish/2011789437 Parts four and five were really heart-wrenching for me. June has a bunch of flashbacks to her old life with Luke and her daughter back when they were happy and free. Part five ends with June having what she calls a dream, what I would call a nightmare, of the day she had her daughter literally ripped out of her arms by the Guardians who then take her to what is essentially handmaid bootcamp. 

It made me really angry when I was reading because June's whole life was ripped apart in an instant. One second she was a mother, a wife, a runner, a woman, an editor. The next, she's a baby machine who isn't even allowed to read letters or bathe herself. It makes me very mad that the high officials of Gilead think that they have the right to blow up everyone's live to achieve whatever their sick and twisted goal is. Almost every theocracy of the past has ended in total chaos so I don't know why these blockheads think they're special. ]]> 2022-01-25 17:33:03 UTC https://padlet.com/grafshop000/owqj7rerchelruup/wish/2011789437 grafshop000 https://padlet.com/grafshop000/owqj7rerchelruup/wish/2018400074 Parts 6 & 7 were shocking to say the least. The ceremony. The ceremony. Ugh. Life as a handmaid didn't seem so bad as a reader until I read through the ceremony. "Serena has begun to cry. I can hear her, behind my back. It isn't the first time. She always does this, the night of the ceremony" (Atwood 90).

Before the ceremony can begin, everyone in the house gathers into the sitting room to read a passage from the bible (the bible? really?) about a dude who gets his servant pregnant. Talking about this could honestly be its own blog post because of the blatant hypocrisy of Gilead. The Guardians literally go around killing various denominations of Christians but then have the audacity to read from the BIBLE before their commanders rape innocent young women while their wives have to watch? Disgusting.

After the Commander, I mean the ceremony finishes, Serena has a slight breakdown and yells at June to get out. I can understand why Serena is upset but she does not have the right to take is out on June because June obviously doesn't enjoy having sex with her old man of a husband who smells like mothballs.

You're probably thinking, "Wow Hope that was really shocking," BUT THE PLOT THICKENS. In the middle of the night, June snuck out of her room to wander around the house a bit - as a bored woman does. While June was looking at little trinkets in the sitting room she heard steps behind her. She turned around and it was NICK. Then they started KISSING. They stopped pretty soon after because neither of them really want to get hung on the wall but I felt really happy for June because she does like Nick. I am definitely curious to see how their relationship turns out later in the book. What about Luke? Who knows.]]> 2022-01-28 18:04:09 UTC https://padlet.com/grafshop000/owqj7rerchelruup/wish/2018400074 grafshop000 https://padlet.com/grafshop000/owqj7rerchelruup/wish/2020201764 "She is a cunning and dangerous woman, said Aunt Lydia" (Atwood 131). In part 6, Moira hatched an escape plan. she pretended to be sick so the guards would take her to the hospital where she would make a run for it. She was successful in getting out but was hastily brought back with an accompanied lashing to her feet. If I endured excruciating pain like that I would 100% give up trying to escape and just suffer as a handmaid. But not Moira.

The new escape plan was absolutely genius and that's why it worked. I don't care what anyone says about Moira being reckless because the idea was flawless. She went on a bathroom break and clogged the toilet so it would overflow. While that was happening she took a sharp metal piece from the toilet which she used basically as a prison shank to get Aunt Elizabeth to go with her. She used a piece of the toilet as a shank. How does one even think of that? She then tied Aunt Elizabeth up and switched clothes with her which allowed her to walk out undetected. I really liked how she put Aunt Elizabeth in the handmaid dress because that was probably so humiliating for her, which she totally deserved. Moira kept it together so well when she pulled it off. Though the other handmaid's don't know for sure if she is alive, I feel like she's going to find a way out of Gilead and then find a way to end Gilead for good. She's definitely the best character in the book.

Though I wanted this whole blog to be about all about Moira I felt like I should touch on the weird stuff going on with June and the Commander. He called her into his study (which is definitely not allowed), then asked her to play Scrabble? Then forced her to kiss him? On the lips and everything? Ew. June was thinking that he probably just misses human connection and all that but I have a weird feeling that he has some kind of weird ulterior motive.]]> 2022-01-30 19:27:59 UTC https://padlet.com/grafshop000/owqj7rerchelruup/wish/2020201764 grafshop000 https://padlet.com/grafshop000/owqj7rerchelruup/wish/2028043812 The way that the elements of literature are used in this reading and really throughout the whole book is what makes The Handmaid's Tale as iconic (and disturbing) as it is. Throughout the whole story June narrates what is happening as time goes on. Having June herself tell the events herself makes this book feel less like a book and more like a letter from an old friend. June's personality is displayed so well that it is like I know her personally even though she is just a character. June is a sarcastic, funny, caring, "hopeless romantic" type of person and all of that is displayed very vividly without Margaret Atwood having to put it into words.

Another powerful element of literature are the flashbacks. It is easy to think "oh this isn't too bad," until us as readers are reminded of those little everyday things that we take for granted like seeing our family and friends everyday or simply reading and writing. When June flashes back to before Gilead it make my heart ache for her because she has to flash back to those memories in order to keep her sanity. The worse part is that those memories are already becoming more dim in her head and she is powerless to do anything about it. When she thinks about the past it feels like watching a movie about a completely different person with an entirely different life, like June is telling us about some random person. It is hard to read about her past and believe that it was even real.]]> 2022-02-03 17:48:52 UTC https://padlet.com/grafshop000/owqj7rerchelruup/wish/2028043812 grafshop000 https://padlet.com/grafshop000/owqj7rerchelruup/wish/2035830790 These two parts were REALLY long so sit tight because this one has a lot to unpack. So at first this reading started out with normal handmaid stuff - going on walks with Ofglen, crippling depression, the usual. But something happens: Serena asks June to let Nick get her pregnant. This honestly shook me a bit because she even went as far as to say that she thought the Commander was probably _sterile.  I whisper type that because the word sterile is not allowed. Anyway, June agrees to the deal and decides to have a baby with Nick which I honestly am kind of happy about, which feels gross but hey Nick is an upgrade from old man mothballs.

Fast forward to the next part (this is where it gets icky & sad.) So basically the commander called for June per the usual but this time the meeting is different, he gives her old gross lingerie and crusty makeup then proceeds to tell her they are "going out." The two sneak out and go to what is essentially a secret speakeasy for Commanders and other high rank men to "fulfill their needs." June is obviously mad about this but when she asks the Commander pretty much says that they need to because their wives wear the same outfits everyday. (The outfits that the husbands make them wear? In the society that the husbands made???) The math is not mathing in this situation at all but whatever. Once they chatted and drank for a bit June starts to look around at the other women. All of them have outfits like hers on and she wonders what they did to get here but then she sees ONE OF THE WOMEN IS MOIRA. When I tell you I died when I read this I did. Eventually they went into the bathroom and Moira tells June about how after she escaped, she was on what is essentially a reboot of the Underground Railroad. She made it to Maine before being caught by the Guardians who brought her to work at the club. But after June said everything that happened to Moira she finished the story with " I don't know how she ended, or even if she did, because I never saw her again" (Atwood 250.) That is not how this was supposed to end. Moira was supposed to get out and save everyone. Her and June were supposed to get out and be happy. 

Also, June and Nick had their first "session" at the end of part 13 so hopefully Nick doesn't end up on the wall.]]> 2022-02-08 15:55:37 UTC https://padlet.com/grafshop000/owqj7rerchelruup/wish/2035830790 grafshop000 https://padlet.com/grafshop000/owqj7rerchelruup/wish/2041792485 If you have ever thought about reading this book - DO IT. Margaret Atwood is such an insanely talented writer that reading this book feels like watching a movie. The way that Offred was the narrator makes the story feel so personal and heart aching because it is just like someone is telling you the plot line straight to your face. 

This book was severely sad to read at times, it was so good. The Handmaid's Tale will make you falter on your values and views. When faced with hard situations that come up throughout the book, us as readers are forced to choose between terrible options to root for on what we think is best for Offred. This book will definitely make you asses your values many times. Though this book was sad to read, it was also beautiful at times. The memories that Offred had of her family were so meaningful to her and they were pretty much the only thing keeping her going. If you are looking for a book that is horrifying yet intriguing, I suggest this book 100% and I loved every page - ★★★★★.]]> 2022-02-11 05:57:50 UTC https://padlet.com/grafshop000/owqj7rerchelruup/wish/2041792485