What Is The Change In The Handmaids Tale

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The Handmaid’s Tale is a riveting series from the start. Based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood, Bruce Miller tells the story of the handmaids through the eyes of Offred (June). In a corrupt society laced with twisted scripture, sexist discrimination, and insane amounts of abuse, the handmaids are doing whatever they possibly can to survive. Imagine waking up and going about the day in your usual way at the café after a run. “Insufficient funds,” the new male barista says from behind the counter. “F*cking sluts, get the f*ck out of here” he shouts as you walk out the door. That’s how it was for June Osborne (Elizabeth Moss) and her friend Moira (Samira Wiley), right before the collapse of the United States government. Many laws changed that day; women lost …show more content…

Little did they know, that was just the beginning. In exchange for these changes, people protested their new government. As a result of the protests, the new government was equipped with an army that was not afraid to shoot down protesters. It was not America anymore; Gilead had risen and with that everything changed. The population had already declined rapidly, and infertility rates went up. If the Fundamentalist regime that ruled Gilead didn’t do something soon, they were surely going to die out. Women were being abducted and marked for their new roles within the walls of Gilead. Those unable to reproduce are marked as Marthas, a name derived from the bible. Their job is to cook, clean, and watch over the handmaids and the children. However, those who were able to reproduce got sent out to the Red Center where they became handmaids. Handmaids have only one job, and that is to conceive and carry a child for their commander and his wife. Handmaids have very little freedom and are only allowed to go out on a daily walk to the markets with a partner. Like any society, there was a rebellion working against them.

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