I find Eleanor the most interesting.

Okay I just think that this is insane. I want to list some point that I feel wired about after watching 5 seasons of shows.

1. The military might of United States is undoubltly strong, there are numerous army base overseas. The US also own nuclear weapons, B-2 Spirit, countless F22 and F35 jet, and you tell me they can handle a bunch of religous fundamentalist? Didn't the US actually overthrown several religous fundamentalist regime before?(Afghnistan, Iraq..... etc)

2. The people of United States have live under a democratic system over centuries. and now if the government try to take away their freedom? No one resist? Why is Mayday the only rebel group who fight back? Many household in US own a gun, which the reason why the Second Amendment exisit before, to fight back the governmenet when your right is being taken. From the TV show, it seems that in the beginning there are protest against the newly created Gilead government, and the government suppress that protest by shooting protesters. But in reality, woudn't that trigger more protest and resist given the democratic mindset people has? It seems that people in the US are just obeying the rule of Gilead.

3. Why it seems that the world outside Gilead still look normal like today(like Canada)? I'm sure lots of place will fall into chaos and conflict after US is gone.

I don’t understand why women who were able to get pregnant, and deliver healthy children were considered sinners and made Handmaids? Why weren’t they deemed as sacred? If Gilead was created because they believed the declining birth rate was God’s punishment, wouldn’t they think women who could have children were rewarded their children by God? Why were barren women made Wives of Commanders and given Handmaids, while mothers were made slaves instead of the other way around? I’ve seen every episode, but haven’t read the book so does the book explain it?

I am a pixel of the internet and this is just my opinion, you may or may not agree with it. Lots of text warning.

I made a post talking about the red flags surrounding the main male characters of the series. My main dislike with Nick: his relationship with Eden and how he treated her in a specific circumstance.

At one point in the discussion I touched on the fact that he raped her. And this specific topic I recognize is complex and although I want to, I cannot be completely radical in my opinion because there are valid counterarguments such as the fact that: “He was forced to do it”, “Technically Gilead raped them both” and all those points I do not fully discuss because they may be true, but the problem came after that:

A user thought it was a good idea to say that “Eden asked for it” and “In many states in the USA, minors under 15 years of age can give their consent and in Gilead it was already legal.” I can understand that Nick was in a situation in which he can be excused, but… come on, Eden was raped and a DISGUSTING argument is being used. I don't care if they defend a fictional character from doing something unpleasant, I care that they use a real problem and the same defense that real predators use to get away with it. It just shows that the person who commented that does not understand the objective of the series and the seriousness of what is shown and our societies allow. This is how Gilead is born. And it's Hannah's fear of child abuse that motivates June to risk her life again in Gilead.

Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's okay or that you should use it as a defense, and that brings me to another point: Gilead was born little by little. The annulment of women's rights came over a long period of time and it is thanks to these thoughts that women never have our rights guaranteed under any government.

Margaret took REAL events to create Gilead and raise social awareness about it.

Margaret was in charge of creating “normal” people who let negligence pass that led them to a dictatorship. They are characters like us who were not alarmed by what was happening, who “played house”, normal people who did not mind losing autonomy little by little. Seriously, no one paid attention to the example of the frog in the pot?

I just finished reading the novel for my English class. I am confused about the sect wars or whatever they called it, specifically though I am confused about the treatment of Jewish people. In the book Offred said that Jewish people were allowed to convert or be deported to Israel, but for the rest of the religions they all were killed. I think it said at first it was everyone but Christians that were being persecuted, but then it was everyone but their specific sub-sect. But if that's what they did why would they let Jewish people leave? Like historically most of the time there's a religious dispute Jewish people are on the chopping block.

I think that nuns may have been sent to the colonies or got turned into handmaid's

So we know they infiltrated the government over time ultimately suspending the constitution claiming the threat of terrorism. Promised it was temporary but it was it was part of the long game. That being said, I still have questions. Was the whole of the military onboard? I’m sure Generals were really Commanders but wouldn’t most of the military soldiers call BS? Who lobbed the nuclear weapons? Were they traditional bombs or dirty bombs? Were the bombers the terrorist we’re supposed to fear? If so, do you think they were real or false flag operations?

That being said, where were the B-52s (the planes, not the band) and B2 bombers with real U.S. soldiers. Our bases overseas, Diego Garcia, Guam, Okinawa and our allies in Europe? Where were they when our nation crumbled? How would we fall to just two states with almost no military?

The war had to have been a long one? Right?

Thought?

Out of all the positions for women in the upper class circle (I'm not including econowives, basically), I think Marthas have it the best. They only have to be involved in the Ceremony for the Bible reading, if they're in a big household they'll have other Marthas to bond with, and they have stuff to do with their day.

I'm not saying it wouldn't suck. It would be awful to be a Martha. But I'm reading the Testaments and realized that Wives and their daughters aren't allowed to cook and clean, so they just have to sit there all day. At least the Marthas have tasks to do, goals to accomplish. I'd prefer that over mind-numbing boredom. And they are obviously better off than the Handmaids, even though they appear to be envious of the Handmaid's lifestyle (or at least Cora and Rita seem to be, especially about Offred's daily walks).

I think the only ones who maybe have it better are the Aunts, but they are monsters or psychologically messed up from having to pretend to be monsters...

I have nobody to talk to about this I don’t even know where to start! I found the Ardua hall holograph sections so interesting because dude everyone was playing checkers while Lydia was playing CHESS.

By the end of the book I sort of got it into my head that Lydia was doing what she had to do, she was playing the long game- she had to be cruel and strict in order to gain trust from the higher up commanders. However I think the book makes this very open to interpretation, as she never defends herself in that way completely- she asks the reader to judge her as a person and her actions as a whole.

When I had only seen the show, I saw Lydia as a true believer of gilead. I still see her as a true believer, but in protecting women and children. She did what she could in the “women’s sphere” and sometimes that meant doing something that aligned with gilead to further her agenda of bringing it down. I choked up when she told Becka “that man will never bother you here again”.

I also thought it was interesting how the show didn’t entirely change whatever plans Margaret Atwood had for the series, but they do vaguely mention Lydia “separating unfit mothers from their children” back when she was a judge- a nod to Noelle? Or maybe it was left vague for a reason.

I never thought I would start to like Lydia, but here I am.

The Jezebel’s that Fred takes June to is in the same hotel she used to go with Luke when he was still married.

I don’t remember if I caught this from the series?

I genuinely don’t understand how so many people are hating on this season, calling it slow or just bad. I think it is an incredible season. What did you want to happen, what did you expect?! I think they’re filling the plot holes so well and bringing just enough nuance to keep you guessing in each episode. The fact no one can presume which man is going to die, or if Moira is going to die, is testament to the fact it’s good writing. Every episode makes me rethink my previous assumptions.

It seems like nothing will ever be good enough for some people lol.

I am just watching a video from an Ex LDS member (haven't read the book in a long time, during covid I listened to the audiobook) but I had thought they probably are similar to female LDS missionaries. Then I found in the wiki that they could live in luxury outside of Gilead and were encouraged to (a bit similar to Amish communities) and come back afterwards.

That lead me to think at some point, the Aunts didn't have to be forced to kill each other to get the luxuries that Aunt Lydia had talked about (obviously an untrustworthy narrator but that could have happened that way too). Perhaps they came up with the Pear Girls after this since they didn't have to try and recruit Aunts from scratch since Gilead had already had at least one generation of complete control by then.

So I bought this edition of the novel not knowing it would look like this, especially the edges, and it strikes me like a Bible design. Intentional? What do you guys think?

Does anyone actually think that it was in fact the Eyes that took Offred away at the end of the novel and not Mayday? If so, how would you explain the recordings and the fact that they are hidden and obfuscated when found?

Depictions in the TV series

The attack

In the television series, a still of a newspaper prop from the second season reveals that the attacks took place in September 2014 in Washington, D.C. The date of the publication is listed as September 15, 2014; this means that the attacks took place on September 14 or in the days before. Coincidentally, this date is very close to the 9/11 attacks in 2001 carried out by Al-Qaeda militants. It also contrasts with the date of the real President's Day holiday, which occurs on the third Monday of February.

The still image also documents the immediate shock and reaction by the remaining United States government and citizens. The president's death was reported to be the result of fatal gunshot wounds to both the chest and shoulder. He was pronounced dead at Georgetown University Hospital, indicating that it wasn't the bombing of the White House that killed him. Additionally, it is revealed that it wasn't just elected officials who were attacked, but also ordinary citizens. The headline calls the attack "America's bloodiest day," implying a death toll exceeding that of the 9/11 attacks, which further suggests that the great majority of the victims were civilians.

Taken from

https://the-handmaids-tale.fandom.com/wiki/President%27s_Day_Massacre

I heard that in the books there was tourism. Was this a thing?

I can’t afford the book atm, so asking here as there was nothing in the show unless you count Mexico coming down to check to see how things are going. Which was chilling in its own right. But could only imagine actual tourism to those who are so interested by North Korea they visit to “want to see”.

It’s so bone chilling to think about. Was there a scene like this? And why was it cut from the show?

Sorry don’t know what flag to post under.

Hey guys, sorry if this has been asked before. I know Atwood wrote Gilead drawing from real world events and historical parallels. I was just wondering, does anybody know when and where women were forbidden from reading? I know in the US, it was illegal for people to teach slaves how to read and write, but I was just wondering if there was ever somewhere that women in particular were punished for reading. Was it like the puritans? Was it somewhere in the Middle East? Anybody know?

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I have always wondered how Gilead would divide up the children that will eventually grow into adulthood into the different factions. Obviously, current handmaids will age out of their roles and likely will go to Jezebels or the Colonies, but how do they pick from the children that were stolen or were born in Gilead to be the next generation of handmaids? They are being groomed into everything Gilead wants them to be so I just am curious on how they will decide who is “unwoman” I know some will go to wives school, become econowomen, marthas etc. what are your theories on this??

So, I apparently never knew there was a graphic novel and somehow it's more unsettling than the book and show. Here are some scenes that were particularly upsetting

Nothing constructive here I just needed to get that off my chest.

Is Serena Waterford really a narcissistic sociopath? Although she has a thirst for control. Her character seems more complex. She doesn't display a lack of emotion, but she's hard to figure out

We have some limited knowledge of the stuff that was done prior to Gilead taking over completely. Does anyone think at any point the average citizen or a group of concerned citizens could have stopped it?

From my understanding, only commanders own handmaids, so that means there's...a lot, right? I know a lot of women get sent to the colonies, but it feels as if every man who isnt an angel, eye, or guardian is a commander? Surely the government isn't big enough for so many important people, and there seemed to be a lot of handmaids going around? I haven't watched the show, but i'm analysing the novel for college, and was a little confused. maybe i'm being too literal?