Crikey, I've got to step in here.
Basically one of the points Atwood seems to be making is that there are
sinister similarities between the hardliners on both fronts, and raising the question of whether a feminist utopia would have been better than (or even different from) the Christian one shown in the book.
Well, I think point she is making is the reverse of what you say - that people can start from very good motives that we as feminists and liberals (well, I am anyway) might agree with, but that by using oppressive *methods* to acquire these ends they end up committing evil acts.
But the main issue in the book is to satirise the way we in the west turn a blind eye to the oppression of people (in particular women) by other cultures in the name of cultural relativism or respect for religious differences. The point of the handmaid's tale is to say - look, it suddenly doesn't seem so acceptable when it is white middle class western women being oppressed. Attwood has given numerous interviews on this subject.
Yes I *know* we can read anything we like into a book, and of course I'm not trying to stop you taking away any message you like from it, but I thought people might be interested to hear another perspective.
The indoctrination techniques in the story are actually startlingly
similar to those used in feminist consciousness-raising groups as well.
Whoah!! Now this is something I have got an informed opinion on. In the handmaid's tale women are beaten to unconsciousness, raped, imprisoned for months on end, tortured, have their children taken away and so on.
Now, I spent much of the eighties in feminist groups, and I'm sure I would have remembered if any of this went on. What happens in a consciousness raising group (happened, they don't seem to exist in this form any more) is that you sit around on uncomfy chairs, and take it in turns to share stories from your life. Like the following type of exchange:
'The men in my office expect me to make the tea every day, and they never do.' 'Why don't you tell them how you feel, they might not have realised how fed up you are about it'
They talk about other stuff like sex, domestic violence etc. too. But don't have fantasies about imprisonment and beatings. It's more like AA or something.
I apologise that this is so OT, but things seemed to be getting a bit out of hand.
Alison
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