The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale is a 1985 dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. The novel explores themes of women in subjugation, and the various means by which they gain agency, against a backdrop of the establishment of a totalitarian theocratic state. Sumptuary laws (essentially, dress codes) play a key role in the form of social control in the new society.

Biblical references

The primary biblical reference in The Handmaid's Tale is to the story of Rachel and Leah (Genesis 29:31–35; 30:1–24). While both Rachel and Leah are fertile, Rachel's fertility is low. Both Rachel and Leah proceed to compete in producing sons for their husband, by using their handmaids as property. Rachel and Leah take immediate possession of the children produced by their handmaids. In the context of Atwood's book, the story is one of female competition, jealousy, and reproductive cruelty.

Related Topics:
Rachel - Leah - Genesis - Jealousy

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A similar story also exists in Genesis, where Sarah is infertile, and Hagar conceives on Sarah's behalf. The Sarah and Hagar story is considerably different from the Rachel and Leah story. This is mainly because of the active role played by Hagar, and Hagar's possession of her child. Due to Sarah's reproductive generosity, Sarah's fertility is restored by God at an advanced age. Atwood was aware of the similarity between these stories, and was using it to show the hypocrisy of Gileadean biblical interpretation: the biblical story showed a relationship between a wife and a handmaid which did not involve sexual and reproductive subjection.

Related Topics:
Genesis - Sarah - Hagar - God

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