It is quite sad that in this new society, women not only loose their hard earned rights, but also their worth and humanity. If one is not a Wife of a Commander then she is doomed when she if she ever gets sick. Marthas are workers and they are replaced if they can’t work anymore. There is little compassion for the lower caste women. Wives are the only ones who are pampered whenever one of them gets sick. Sometimes I wonder what is the job of the Wives? The Marthas are there to do housework and be servants. The Handmaids are there to be walking incubators. What about the Wives?

What is with the rule of Society being that old men are the only ones that are allowed to procreate? Why keep the younger men from procreating? Isn’t the goal of the Gilead Society to repopulate the community? Wouldn’t it make more sense to allow the younger men to participate rather than the older men, since biological statistics state their advantages?

While talking to the Commander, Offred states that “I fell for him.” Who exactly is him? (Chapter thirty five). She also states  “We were falling women.” What could she mean by this? Falling women? She says that the downward motion is like flying, how can you be flying when you are falling? I wonder what Offred’s views are on “love”. Due to the formation of the Society of Gilead, there seems to be little or no such thing as love. Men and women are not allowed to choose each other and everything from intimacy (rarely allowed, in my opinion) to association is strictly regulated. 

When Moira mentions to Offred that she saw Offred’s mother, why was Offred so surprised and thought of her mother as dead? Was it because Offred has not seen her mother for a long time and adding to the fact that she knows how defiant her mother can be, could she have just thought that her mother had been killed?

The movie had Offred’s mother in it which makes me wonder more about who Offred was before the Society of Gilead came to be. From what I have read I noticed that Offred’s mother, or at least to me it seemed that Offred’s mother was a feminist. Offred’s mother didn’t care about giving birth past thirty or dyeing her hair and she didn’t seem to like men or think much of them. She even seemed to think women were better than men except in some areas. I think Offred might have gotten the courage and nerve from her mother to rebel as much as she has so far. As you read along and learn more of Offred’s past especially her relationship with her mother, you sort of see another side of Offred. Her mother had expectations and to Offred, they seemed too restricting. And I think as Offred looks back and compares the restrictive life she has now to the restrictive life she had with her mother, she finds that living back then with her mother was not as bad compared to her life as a handmaid. I sense that she might have a bit of guilt too as she thinks about what once was.         

This society I am predicting will not last. Just like all totalitarian societies someone or a group will rise and overthrow this government. It’s like a cycle. One group gains power and after a while falls so another group takes over and it goes on and on. There will always be some discontent in any society, but seeing as how the Gilead Society is so controlling, there are likely to be more then just discontent. As you read along you are introduced to a woman that is part of a group that formed to resist the government. After a while, even Offred starts to rebel more openly by gradually doing or asking things that she should not. She goes to secret meetings with the Commander, plays Scrabble games, read forbidden magazines, ask for lotion, and go out with the Commander (even though she’s not suppose to and Serena Joy better not find out or Offred could be sent away). Another thing I noticed that in history and in this book, Canada seems to be the ideal place for people to run to when America seems to be a bleak place to live or if there is something militaristic going on that people object to.

This story incorporates many religious themes and ideas and has many references to the Bible, Exodus in particular. For example the use of the Handmaid as a child bearer for the Wife and Commander is like how in the Bible Rachel had her maid, Bilhah bear two children for her with Jacob since she could not. They are heavily religious yet it is sort of ironic since the relationships are questionable. I mean having another woman bear a child for your husband?

Anyways, I feel that this book degrades women much and that the society is trying to make all women docile by taking away education. There is no reading allowed at all. Women had to fight for the right to vote and to be treated as equals and right now it is as if all that change has been reversed as we see women being either a trophy wife, child bearer, or servant.

I believe that Joanna Russ wrote this story to show that women can live without men. Whether or not it was out of spite or to challenge conventional ideals we won’t know, however I believe it might be more of the latter than the former. In truth it is easier for an all woman society to exist than it is for an all man society. For one thing, I know it might sound sort of stereotypical but women are more understanding and tend to quarrel or cause a disturbance less than men. Scientifically, since the procedure of “parthenogenesis” is viable, an all women world would be possible since women have the physiological means of carrying the new offspring to term. Men, do not have such physiological means thus less hope of an all men world. Biologically speaking being female is actually the “standard” sex. It is only if the fetus has the Y chromosome and when that kicks in that the fetus starts to develop into a male.

What could the Left Hand of Darkness be? What is Leguin referring to as the Left Hand of Darkness? Another question would be why did Estraven kill himself? What could have been on his mind as he skied down to his death? What did you think of the ending? It just leaves the reader off with the fact that Genly is being asked by Estraven's relatives, how did he die and about their journey. Could the end result have been proof that Genly might have asked the wrong question when he was at the Foretellers? Are you satisfied with the ending? I get a feeling that one of the underlying themes of the book whether or not if the "ends justify the means". Estraven risked his position and name by helping Genly. He supported Genly and stole for him. Genly endured physical hardships to create the alliance. What are your thoughts?