The maid's report

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The Handmaid's Tale (original title: The Handmaid's Tale ) is a dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood from the year 1985 . The book was filmed in 1990 under the title The story of the servant by Volker Schlöndorff , since 2017 in the form of the television series The Handmaid's Tale - The Maid's Report .

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The flag of the Republic of Gilead in the film, which is based on the flag of the United States

The United States of America in the Near Future: Radioactive, chemical, and bacteriological contamination has led to sterility in many people . In a coup d'etat by the sons of Jacob , a Christian fundamentalist group, the president and all members of Congress are murdered and the constitution is suspended. The army declares a state of emergency, newspapers are censored and roadblocks are put in place. A theocratic dictatorship , called the Republic of Gilead , with strict rules, limited freedom of movement in public, and controls by police and secret agents is established. In particular, the position of women is being redefined: they must not own any property. Their property falls to the closest male relative. In state affairs she has to submit to the man completely. Her role is that of the housewife with the duty to bear children.

Desfred (in English: Offred) is the main character in the book. The story is told from their point of view. Desfred is a maid and one of the few fertile women. Your job at the commandant's house is to carry a child to term for the commandant and his allegedly sterile wife, Serena Joy. She lives an unhappy and lonely life and keeps thinking of her little daughter and Luke, her husband, from whom she was forcibly separated in a failed escape.

The fact that Desfred does not get pregnant is most likely due to the commandant, who may be sterile. His wife, however, desperately wants to have a child. She arranges meetings with Nick, the commandant's chauffeur, and Desfred. Desfred is supposed to become pregnant by Nick. These meetings quickly turn into an illegal, clandestine relationship in which both of them risk their lives. Desfred tells Nick that he made her pregnant, even though this is just her wishful thinking.

One day the Gilead police come to get Desfred. Nick seems to have arranged this, and Desfred suspects that he is a secret agent of the regime and that he denounced them. The police say the maid is accused of violating state secrets. Nick tells her the police are members of Mayday, a secret resistance movement that will smuggle them into Canada , where Gilead can no longer reach them. Desfred is led away, neither she nor the readers know where she is really going and what will happen to her later.

In the appendix to the book, as part of a scientific symposium on Gilead studies on June 25, 2195, Desfred's stories about her life are historically classified as a rare document - if the records are authentic - from the first phase of this dictatorship in the 21st century. In the meantime, this state no longer exists and official documents were destroyed in various phases of purification of the regime. Desfred must have managed to escape. In a hiding place, she spoke about her experiences on 30 tapes that were unearthed in the former US state of Maine . No more is known about their fate.

characters

Desfred (English Offred)

She is the first-person narrator and protagonist of the novel. Her maiden name from before the Republic of Gilead is never explicitly mentioned, but some performers suspected that it might be. a. There is a note in the information in the 1st Kps: The women who are training to be maidservants whisper names on their beds at night: “Alma. Janine. Dolores. Moira. June ”, and everyone but June is later mentioned by Desfred. One could conclude from this that this is her own name. The author commented on this in a newspaper article in 2017: It was not her original intention, but she could understand the thoughts of the readers. In the American Hulu TV series "The Handmaid's Tale" (2017), the interpretation that Desfred was once called June is adopted.

Before the overthrow, she was married to Luke and had a daughter with him. After completing her studies, she first worked for an insurance company, then in a library. Her mother was one of the first feminist activists. June's escape from the Republic of Gilead fails and she is separated from her husband and daughter. Since she is one of the few fertile women left, she is taken to the Rachel and Leah Re-education Center to prepare her for her job as a maid. It comes into the household of Commander Fred and his wife Serena Joy and is given the patronymic name "Des Fred". During her stay in the commandant's household, she learns from Desglen, her maid partner, about the Mayday underground movement, which is trying to bring women to safe countries abroad. Their hope for this movement is destroyed when Desglen kills himself and is replaced by a new, strictly orthodox Desglen. At the same time, the relationship with the commanding officer intensified. Desfred goes from a maid to a mistress: a relationship that is strictly forbidden in Gilead's society. Desfred does not get pregnant from the commandant. The wife Serena Joy therefore suggests to Desfred to use the guard Nick as a sperm donor, although this is also strictly forbidden. Desfred nevertheless accepts the proposal and an affair develops with Nick. Her knowledge of the Mayday Movement, her mistress role towards the commanding officer and the affair with Nick are revealed. This gives her a chance to escape, but it remains open whether Desfred will be freed or killed.

Moira

Desfred met Moira in college. Over time, a close and trusting friendship developed between the two of them. Even coming out Moiras as a lesbian doesn't change that. Before the coup, Moira worked for a women's association that dealt with the issues of birth control and violence against women. Shortly after taking power, Moira forged links with the Quaker underground movement . She is caught and also taken to the Rachel and Leah Re-education Center. Despite the strict surveillance, Desfred and Moira manage to maintain contact. Moira tries to escape. The first attempt to escape fails and she is tortured. The second attempt to escape succeeds: she overpowers Aunt Elizabeth, takes possession of her clothes and manages to find refuge again with the Quaker underground movement. But the attempt to bring Moira abroad fails. The regime gives them a choice: deportation to the colonies or work as a Jesebel. She chooses the latter, is sterilized, and taken to an officers and businessmen club. Although Desfred is happy to see her again at the club, she is concerned about the change in Moira's personality: the Republic of Gilead has managed to finally break the rebellious character of Moiras.

The Commander

Initially, the novel only mentions the name, origin and background of the commandant indirectly. It was not until the Nunavit Conference that his name, position, and significance for the establishment of the Republic of Gilead were hypothesized.

He belongs to the regime's elite and thus has access to the maids in order to father a child with them. Desfred finds out that she is not the first fertile woman who has to serve as a maid in the commandant's household. At the commandant's request, there are secret meetings that are actually strictly forbidden. In his private room he plays old, forbidden games with her (e.g. Scrabble). He owns many books and magazines, procures other prohibited items for Desfred and finally smuggles them into a private club for officers and business people. Desfred goes from a maid to a mistress. Serena Joy finds out about the relationship and puts her husband under pressure: Desfred is threatened with the fate of her predecessor, who took her own life.

Serena Joy

Because Serena Joy is married to the commanding officer, she belongs to the highest social class of women in the Republic of Gilead. Desfred knows her from religious TV programs before the coup. At the Nunavit conference it is determined that the name mentioned in the book is probably a satire: Serena from the English serene ( eng . Cheerful, calm) and Joy from the English joyful ( eng . Joyful ). It is not surprising that her character is neither calm nor joyful. She must now lead the life that she previously preached publicly. Her desire for children is strong, so she resorted to an illegal means: suspecting the commandant's sterility , she arranged for her maid to mate with the guard Nick. She bribes Desfred with the promise to get a photo and signs of life for her daughter. When Serena Joy learns that Desfred had a closer relationship with her husband, she threatens Desfred with betraying the private eyes.

Nick

The guard Nick is employed in the commandant's household as his chauffeur and lives above the garage. Despite his orderly service in the household, he remains a seedy person for everyone involved: On the one hand, he seems to be a member of the Mayday underground movement, on the other hand, it can be assumed that he works for the private eyes. On the one hand, he serves the commandant as an ambassador for the secret meeting with Desfred, on the other hand, he makes himself available to Serena Joy's plans. Even during the affair with Desfred, he reveals little about himself, although she has deeper feelings for him. When she is picked up by Privat-Augen, Nick gives her maiden name and assures her that she supports the Mayday movement. A confirmation of his information and the report of a rescue are missing.

Desglen (English Ofglen)

Desglen is the maid of the Glen from the neighborhood of Desfreds and assigned to her as a partner. This partnership is initially for surveillance and control, but Desglen gradually reveals himself to be a member of the Mayday underground movement. During a "participation" ("participation" is a made- up word made up of participation and execution and means that a large number of servants are actively involved in an execution together and thus share responsibility for the death of the delinquent) Desglen recognizes the convicted as a member the underground movement and helps to kill him quickly and thus save him the agony of a slow death. After the event, she hangs herself when she sees the car pull up to her eyes - since she must assume that the guard has betrayed her. She is replaced by a strictly Orthodox maid.

Deswarren (English Ofwarren)

Her previous name is Janine, she is also a handmaid (in Warren's house). The Rachel and Leah Center learns about her that she was raped when she was 14 and subsequently aborted her child. This is now under the highest penalty, and she has been brainwashed to admit that she was responsible for the rape. There she almost suffers a nervous breakdown, which is covered over by the other women. As a maid, she becomes pregnant and has a baby that initially appears healthy. However, after a while it turns out that this is disfigured, a so-called "unbaby", and has no right to life.

The corporate structure of Gilead

One of the central elements of the novel is the strict separatist social structure of the Republic of Gilead. It finds its basis in a Christian-Biblical context, the main characteristic of which is the subordination of women to men. The social structure chosen by those in power serves to secure power and the goal of increasing the rate of human reproduction.

Basically, people are divided into rigid categories and have to dress according to their social function. Gilead's laws make a strict distinction between gender, task and social class. Since Adam was created before woman, man has authority and superior position in state and society. Men have to wear a military or paramilitary uniform, the color of which depends on their social position and function. A distinction must be made between four male social classes, at the highest point of which are the commanders of the faith (Commander of the Faith) . While a social advancement is quite possible for men, a rigid system of rules applies to women, the center of which is their fertility . Therefore, the different colors of female clothing have not only a social but also a biological meaning. For women, the company Gilead between seven classes is different, with the so-called wives (Wives) occupy the highest social rank. Outside of these clearly demarcated male and female classes are the groups of Unwomen (Unwomen) and Jesebels , who are despised for various reasons and have no value for the Republic of Gilead.

Reviews

“The truly terrifying thing about the novel is that everything that happens in the future society it describes is nothing new - all deeds have been committed at some point, the author only has the time, the setting and a few details changed, and put everything in a new context. […] Margaret Atwood's great and exciting novel must be understood as a prophecy and a warning. His topic is not only a negative utopia of American society, but above all the story of the suffering of women: It extends from the past to the present and into the future. "

- Wolfgang Pollanz

"Terrible Brave New World - with her negative utopia from Big Brother Gilead, Margaret Atwood wrote herself into the successor of Aldous Huxley and George Orwell ."

- The mirror

Awards

Was nominated The Handmaid's Tale for the following prizes:

Scoring and other media

continuation

In 2018, Margaret Atwood announced the sequel to The Maid's Report , which appeared in 2019 under the title The Witnesses (original title: The Testaments , literally: The Testaments ).

literature

expenditure

Secondary literature

  • Corall Ann Howells: The Cambridge Companion to Margret Atwood , 2006 ISBN 0-521-54851-9
  • Uwe Klawitter: The Theme of Totalitarianism in English Fiction , 1997 ISBN 3-631-31520-1
  • PL Thomas: Reading, Learning, Teaching Margaret Atwood, 2007 ISBN 978-0-8204-8671-0
  • Albert Rau: The Handmaid's Tale: Interpretation aid . Contents and interpretations - topics and vocabulary - sample exam, Cornelsen, Berlin 2006 ISBN 978-3-589-22221-6 (= Cornelsen Senior English Library, Literature, from 11th school year)
  • G. Ruby Davaseeli: Breaking the tyranny of silence in Margaret Atwood's "The handmaid's tale" and Shashi Deshpande's "That long silence", in K. Blalchandran: Canadian Literature: An Overview. Sarup & Son, New Delhi 2007, chap. 18, pp. 177–190 (available in Google books )

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Margaret Atwood on What 'The Handmaid's Tale' Means in the Age of Trump . In: The New York Times , March 10, 2017 (accessed March 12, 2019).
  2. ↑ See Wolfgang Jeschke (Ed.): The Science Fiction Year 1989, Wilhelm Heyne Verlag , Munich, ISBN 3-453-03139-3 , pp. 518, 519 f.
  3. ^ Warning of Gilead . Der Spiegel, June 1, 1987. Retrieved October 2, 2013
  4. ↑ https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/margaret-atwood-die-zeuginnen-1.4596099