I thought it best to have a separate posting for the second half of the graphic adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale -- there are different issues raised there -- and also, it's less confusing to have the conversational thread start fresh.
We realize, in the end, that the narrative we've been following turns out to be an historical document -- the subject, indeed, of a presentation at an even more far-future academic conference of some kind. Renee Nault mentions in an interview that she'd been tempted to replace the male lecturer with a woman, but that in this one instance, Atwood nixed the idea. There was a desire, somehow, to make it all more hopeful, but apparently the author wanted to leave things stand. Nault does add, though, a small vignette of a handmaid -- perhaps the future equivalent of a PowerPoint slide -- at the bottom of the frame.
Personally, I'm very fond of the end of the 1990 film, where the former Offred -- brilliantly portrayed by the late Natasha Richardson -- is seen in her trailer, her place of escape, complete with a faithful dog. It is here, we learn, that she recorded -- using what now seems an ancient device known as a
cassette recorder -- the narrative that has spilled upon these pages of print, and over them into the imagery of colors of Nault's adaptation.
The adaptation of the Handmaids Tale was definitely an eye opening graphic novel that I enjoyed reading for the first time. Knowing there is a movie, I am interested in viewing that to see the difference if there is any from the novel. I actually read it all at once the first time because I was interested to see what direction it was going to end. Now looking back after reading it, to begin with I never knew what a "handmaid" even was before opening the novel. Now knowing that it is a women used for only house work and creating children for others benefit , its sad knowing this was created for women. It wasn't the easiest read , I did have to go back and re read a few lines to understand what was always going on, but it was still keeping my interest to learn more. The pictures in the novel keeps you interested , using red for the choice of the color the handmaids wore, was a bold look for women who had no power over themselves as it created an impact after reading and makes you wonder why that color was chosen, considering in my perspective when you see the color red used, you normally don't associate it with something good.
ReplyDelete- Karissa Santos
The second half of the handmaid's tale was both intriguing and frustrating for me. The most intriguing part for me was when the latin phrase "Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum" was translated by the main antagonist himself. The phrase, meant don't let the bastards grind you down, was really symbolic toward Offred's story she went forward with hope and was strong thinking about her daughter and husband. When the commander was the one who translated it, I really thought it was fitting that he would be the one to say it because he in this story, excuse my french, is the bastard. I enjoyed the ending but it could have been better in my opinion, I don't know if it just me being an optimist but I felt like the story of Offred and the handmaids was unfinished. I thought maybe when she had seen Moria at the commanders sex club that they would maybe find a way to get out of the situation but it didn't. She was just used again and again. Then at the very end when she was taken away from the protesting commander and his wife I had thought once again that we would see her life come back together after the guard whom she had relations with via the comanders wifes instructions said mayday. But we didnt, all we got at the end was the scene of the male speaker talking about how she recorded all of these things that happened to her on cassette tapes.
ReplyDeleteI don't know maybe its just me wanting a bit more of the story for it to feel complete for me.
However i can say I very much enjoyed the story and the continued use of different color scheme with transitioning frames and what those frames depict whether it be past or present.
I completely agree to this. Reading other comments had me confused due to the fact that people were talking about how much they loved the ending and everything came together. I found myself very confused trying to figure out the point of the novel in its entirety. There really was never an ending, and Offred like you said, is still being used. I wish there had been more that maybe showed hope for her as well as the other women going through these disgusting acts. I enjoyed it however i do wish there was just a little more to answer some of the questions i was thinking in my head.
DeleteI agree Professor Russell, with the fact that I too like the ending. At the end it seems that she has escaped this horrid way of life. It stands to show that we as humans always hunger for knowledge and free will. Humans can only play along so far with a super controlled environment before they realize that they would rather die or escape from society to gain refuge. Even from my own perspective, throughout reading the whole novel I kept plotting to myself saying how I would try to escape such a society. She did a fantastic job of escaping from this horrid society she was living in. Play by the game and in the end you will see a way out. Knowledge is freedom. Once we have tasted freedom it is very difficult to fully hand it over. Especially since they went from a very free society to extremely controlled in her lifetime, it is only human for us to try and regain what we think was the better way of life.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I thought The Handmaid’s Tale was good. I didn’t read it in high school and I had only watched the first episode of the series on Hulu, so I already understood what the plot of it was. I really enjoyed the artwork and illustrations of the book and it made reading it more enjoyable, although the story itself is depressing. The handmaids were manipulated into believing that their purpose was to carry children and basically be slaves to everyone above them, but throughout the book Offred has flashbacks of life before everything changed, and there are some parts where she seems disgusted with herself for what she did before she became a handmaid. One part that was especially disturbing to me was when during testimony, Janine spoke about how she committed abortion because she was raped. The lecturer had manipulated the group of women to believe it was her fault for being raped because she was leading the men on and this all happened to teach her a lesson. I enjoyed the ending of the book and how it was left unknown what happened to Offred and that the narrative was part of a historical document. As much as I enjoyed reading the book, it was just a reminder that there are still cultures and places in the world where this way of life is considered normal, as most people may consider it an outdated lifestyle.
ReplyDelete- Sarah Blanchette
I enjoyed this novel particularly because of the ending. This story had enormous social commentary on feminism and classism, so it only makes sense that the ending would have a “bigger picture” and almost humbling close. I really enjoy when novels or movies have some sort of twist in the perspective of how the story is being told, so this especially interested me. I believe that the ending was very humbling in the same sense that abstract thought has on anything. When they speak about this story in a lecture setting in the future it puts many things into perspective. I also enjoyed the thought that the lecture professor was going to be changed to a woman. This would be another twist in the story because although the entire story is emphasizing the oppressed women, one is able to speak about it later, in a position of authority and power. This thought is not so far-fetched though because even in the world we live in today, many women live oppressed lives, yet here in America a female lecture professor could lead a class speaking about it. Overall I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to watching the movie, which I did not know was made but looks very good. -Lisbeth Spitzschuh
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I thoroughly enjoyed The Handmaids Tale. The idea of feminism throughout the novel was very powerful, especially the idea that legally controlling womens reproductive freedom was morally and politically wrong. The Gileadean states strived to own and control womens fertility which led to the suffering of Offred and the rest of the handmaids. While reading this novel, this theme led me to make connections with the controversy over the idea of abortion in today's society. Like the novel, the government wants to put laws in place to control the freedom of a womens choice. In the end, this novel solidifies the idea that people of power, such as government officials, will always want to control women's bodies. I believe this is a topic that needs to continue to be discussed, and the fight for freedom of choice and equality is long from over. I enjoyed this novel and look forward to finishing the tv version.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale. I could not stop reading once i started. It is amazing to think about how times use to be and what these women went through and how these infertile women and their husbands controlled the handmaid's life. They were not allowed to have a child for themselves. I cannot imagine being forced into producing a fetus with some man while being held down by his wife as if she was the one having intercourse. It is a crazy concept. A women bonds with her baby during that time- and to have to give it all away like nothing. This story makes your thankful to be able to be living in a time where women are free and able to do what they want. Women did not have a choice back then what to do, just like people are saying they still don’t have a choice now a day's. There is definitely more freedom now with women.
ReplyDeleteI like how the color red was chosen for women to wear. Red is associated with danger and sacrifice. since it is the color of blood. It showed power in the fight the women were still putting up.
I am very interested to view this as a movie/ show.
The Handmaid's Tale was quite an interesting read and one that I enjoyed. It was interesting to read a dystopian novel with the primary focus being the control of women and their reproductive rights (or lack thereof). I must admit, the read was emotionally heavy and somewhat uncomfortable, but it did an amazing job of telling the story of a woman who struggled to gain control over her life and find meaning to it. As much as I don't really enjoy cliffhanger endings, the ending in the graphic novel adaptation was what I expected and it worked well for the message of the story. I like to think that Ofred really did escape what she was going through, and that she finally achieved power in her own life and with her own decisions.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading this novel, I didn’t know what a handmaid was, and now that I know, I feel very disturbed and sorry for those ladies. I find it ironic how the handmaids are dressed in mostly red. To me, red is a symbol of power, but I see that the handmaids don’t even have power over themselves, I start to wonder why that color was chosen. So, I then start to think of the next thing that reminds me of red - love and passion. However, they are being controlled and show no love or passion for it. So I believe they are associated with danger and desire because of how they are used for someone else’s benefit and don’t get a say in how they live their life. One odd thing that really got to me but not many people talk about was the marriage ceremony. In preparation for the ceremony, the women are not allowed to be anywhere alone with a man for years before they are actually married or know who they’re marrying. Not only that, but they are not allowed to talk about anything from their old life. They might remember it, but they stay silent. Now that I know that there is a series on Hulu, I am excited to watch it and compare the differences between the graphic novel and the show.
ReplyDelete- Zachary Garcia
That is a really good questions about the colors, while reading the book I wondered the same thing. Why are the wives blue and the handmaids red?
DeleteThe marriage was bizarre to me as well, but I guess it is, unfortunately, a reality that still occurs in many cultures where marriages are set up by the families without consent of the bride or groom.
I was very interested with reading the handmaids tale i finished the book in one sitting when the first post was due. I think the second half of the book was easily disturbing as the first half. At the end finding out it was a document was unreal to me. The story ended so fast and abrupt we never really knew what happens to offred, I found myself looking for more after the story ended and decided to watch the hulu version and while watching most of the first season it was very similar to the book and was interesting to see how they shot different scenes. If anyone else is looking for more of the story or even a different variation i suggest watching the hulu tv series. Im currently on season two and the book has ended within the first season so it it very interesting to me to see what happens to all of the main characters and the drama that goes with the rest of the story. As for the graphic novel i really loved the illustration and i found the plot distributing but interesting to read. It really made me feel lots of different emotions through reading it. I think that if any type of novel can bring out real feelings its defiantly worth the read.
ReplyDeleteI definitely would have loved to know what happened to Offred as well. I will be watching the Hulu version for sure. Thanks for recommending.
Deleteis it okay that I had written both my first and second half on the first section?
ReplyDeleteYes, that's absolutely fine!
DeleteSome parts of the second half of the Handmaids's tale were very confusing to me. For example in chapter XIV Salvaging, where they showed the killing by hanging two handmaids and a wife, I thought it was Offred for some reason. Then when they brought in the man convicted of rape I thought he was Nick and I didn't really understand why the handmaids were kicking him. Also, in chapter XV Night, when it shows Offred hanging with the pink feather suit I though she had committed suicide but then it showed her being taken by the security guys with the black suits. It was all very confusing to me. I even read it twice but I could not understand it. I didn't really liked the end because it left us questioning what happened with Offred.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I thinks is a great book, both the story and the illustrations are amazing, and the illustrations are really helpful in painting the picture to understand what is going on. However, for me, some parts were very hard to understand.
I agree, I was confused as well at some parts in the second half of the reading. I thought she or her friend from the "club" were being hung but it was never told. I do wish we got an ending as to what happened to Offred because the book was very interesting.
DeleteOverall, the Handmaid’s Tale was a good read. It was shocking to find out that the novel we had been following was a historic event. The rapid pace of the second half of the novel left me pondering on what happened to Offred. I wonder if it was a strategic tactic in second part of the novel to build anticipation and suspense for the reader by leaving a cliffhanger. Nonetheless, the ending made me truly reflect on the themes of feminism of social classism noted. After the events that were portrayed in the first half of the novel it was satisfying to read the twist it had. The fact that the narrative was switched from women who were oppressed to even speak yet alone about what they were going through to by the end, the lecturer later being in a position of power was empowering. Being in today’s society, I see why some women are afraid to speak about their experiences they go through. It is utterly disappointing that when a woman speaks out about a negative yet scarring experience they went through it is often overlooked as what did they do to provoke it instead of truly empathizing with them. Similar to the novel when Janine spoke out about being raped which led her to having an abortion the lecturer manipulated the group to believe it was her fault for leading on men and how the situation was bound to happen as a result. It is unfortunate because many women still are faced with these pretenses today. How many times have you read that a woman finally speaks up after being raped or abused by a someone else several years later because they were afraid on how others would respond and criticize them. It is disappointing that even after all this time woman still go through some of the same struggles that were previously adherent. Nonetheless, I am interested in watching the series on Hulu and will probably look into it over this quarantine period.
ReplyDelete- Lisa Agyare
Overall I believe this was a very good and interesting book. I was surprised to see that the wife had tried to help Offred get pregnant by setting her up with Nick. However, I felt bad when the wife found out about her husband and Offred's secret meeting because I knew that the young woman had no choice but to do what the man had wanted. This book had brought up many topics and it has made me appreciate more the rights that woman have today in America. I wish the book would have said what happened to Offred and her friend from the club instead of them being left as cliffhangers because I was very interested in their lives while reading. However I was confused as to what happened in some parts of the novel as the graphics were a bit deceiving and I hope to watch the tv series for clarity. For example, when her family was driving and crossing the border I was confused as to why suddenly the scene showed guns being drawn and blood. I also found it confusing that at the end many more people, including men had known what Mayday was and I did not know if they were truly trying to help the women.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the second half of the graphic novel allowed me to understand the deeper meaning behind the ideas of feminism and oppression. I felt like I got a better take from the novel itself than the television portion. I know to a certain extent that the government found ways to slowly and gradually take power away from women and in an attempt to control their body with their backing of “god’s way”. It was heartbreaking to see the contrast of the handmaids to Janine who was raped and as a result losing her baby. The build up of Janine’s traumatising experiences and then to be blamed for the rape breaks my heart. The novel does well on the parts of using color especially the contrast of the red vs the dull blue, I was able to see the emotions/conflict of the characters. I just feel so bad for all the women because I feel like today to a lesser brutal extent we, as women, are always going to be told what we can or cannot do with our bodies. It’s crazy the times can be relatable. Furthermore, what I also found fascinating was the part where the men were tired of how “easy” it was for them to get what they want. The empty feeling to not have to fight for anything. While the women absolutely had nothing left in the end in which leaving both parties to not feel anything anymore. It’s just I found them to be eh okay, I think there are bigger issues than easy sex. I don’t know if that was just me. To end this, the only thing that bothers me is the cliffhanger for this graphic novel. I wonder what lies next for Offred and her journey.
ReplyDelete-Kimberly Dy
This book was something different than the rest of the readings we had in this class. I have not seen the television series but I heard a few comments that there were differences between the book and the show that were more intense in some parts. After I finished it, I read it again just in case I missed anything but I also got a better understanding of it after reading it the second time. It was disturbing in a sense that the commander and his wife were using women to produce children for their own benefits and the women had no other choice but to give in for their own sake. They had no say in whether they wanted to be a part of that action or even who they choose to be with. One part that really annoyed me was when Janine stood in front of the group and said that “I committed abortion. I was raped. I was fourteen. A group of men…” (Atwood, ch. V). The Aunt that was in the room with them declared that the rest of the group repeated that it was Janine’s fault for leading them on. Situations like these are still seen in today’s world where they tell women to “dress less provocatively” or to be more mature about things so they won’t be blamed for men’s actions. Overall, Atwood did a good job on illustrating the role of feminism in the novel and describing the character’s feelings and how they were treated.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said, that scene was really hard to read, when you see her crying while everyone had to tell her that it was all her fault. I also have never seen the show, but my mom has, and I would frequently discuss the book with her and ask for deeper explanations based off what shes seen in the show. Even in just our discussions alone we found out the differences between the graphic novel adaptation and the show because sometimes we would be talking about completely different things!
Delete-Catherine Comfort
This has become my favorite graphic novel of all time. I believe Nault did an amazing job of portraying the novel while incorporating many similarities to the Hulu tv show. I was a bit disappointed at the end of the graphic novel to find that this was a powerpoint or a speech from the viewpoint of one the victims in a museum. While it is also satisfying to know that like in the Holocaust, this era of tragedy has ended and other countries or another country to help end it. I did admire the blood spatter on one of the pages which I believed was used to resemble death and tragedy. This page also details how throughout eras like Gilead or the Holocaust, the political figures in power can brainwash even the victims. As I stated in the previous post, I believe dystopian novels, regular or graphic, are necessary to read and apply to our lives to prevent such famines or obstruction of power from occurring within our walls and our generation. Overall, I loved reading this graphic novel and I believe it is so important to read.
ReplyDeleteKaitlin Patterson
The second half of this book continues to be as grueling and uncomfortable as the first. However as many as my classmates pointed out, I did get confused at times within the second half. To see the harsh environment that these women were in was intense stuff and kept me engaged, which is more the reason why I was a bit disappointed in the ending. To have us follow the main character Offred only to be left on a cliffhanger of what happens next I feel is a bit of a disservice to fans of the novel. However the main plot did a great job at keeping me intrigued and I'm definitely more interested in giving the TV show a shot. Im not sure how the ending with the movie went, however maybe the TV show can give the audience an ending with more closure.
ReplyDeleteReading the second half of the book I noticed the main character would get off by doing something she knows very well is forbidden. Along the way she pushes more and more. What I really like about this book is how in different scenes they go back and show what it was like at the time long ago and compare what is being missed and what it is like now for the ladys. This was a really good graphic novel and I am going to start watching the tv show.
ReplyDelete-K'Mia Sylvester
Along with most in the class, I also enjoyed the Handmaids tale and liked the ending. I had never read the original novel or seen any episodes of the Hulu show. I like reading dystopian type novels (they never get old), so reading this was fun and kept my interest. The overall theme was quite disturbing to me. the brutality the women had to go though was off-putting. Such as the rapes or being forced to get pregnant and raise children.
ReplyDeleteLike some others mentioned, I also got a bit confused in this second half. I assume with making a full novel into a graphic novel, many things have to be removed, allowing for some room of confusion. After a second read, I better understood what had happened.
Overall, I would recommend this particular novel to others, as it is an easy read and is very powerful with the corresponding graphics. I may even pick up and read the original !
Unlike some of my classmates, I thought the ending of The Handmaid’s Tale was great. I did not expect to read that Offred had recorded the narrative and turned it into an academic presentation. I like that the novel ended the way it did, it left me feeling as though I wanted more of the story, but I created an ending for myself. She escaped an unbearable way of life, which in my opinion, indicates that people can overcome anything if they believe in themselves and give it his/her all. Of course the novel was sad and depressing, however, at the end she made it out alive and had created a peaceful home for herself with the best companion of all, a dog. I feel it’s important for people to read such novels so that we are reminded that we shouldn’t take our lives for granted. Women in history have endured horrific trauma that we fortunately do not have to experience ourselves.
ReplyDelete-Amanda Musumeci
The second part of the book kept its balance, again it is worth mentioning the great work in the adaptation which greatly facilitates the reading of the book, just as I mentioned in my previous comment, reading stories like these make us appreciate human rights even more. The fiction shows us different worlds from our reality and many times seeing these scenarios helps us to appreciate the reality we have, sadly in the story we see how women are clearly not treated the same as men; on the contrary, they are abused. the novel has several feminist touches which are widely debated topics in today's society. in general, I enjoyed the book a lot and it was a very different reading from what we had already read in the course
ReplyDelete-Luis Cespedes
I thought the second half of the Handmaid's Tale was a lot easier to pay attention to and be invested in than the first. Since there was a bit more to the story (especially towards the novel’s final act) I found myself turning the pages intently. My favorite aspect from the second half, and the book as a whole, was the ending. The ambiguity of the final scene kept me thinking about the book for days. Was Nick a spy? Is Offred safe? The reader won't know for sure; it's up for them to decide. This allows for the reader to go back through the story and dissect each page, panel, and sentence with a different perspective; which is what makes the ending great.
ReplyDeleteNick Lancia