Where America might go next part 1.
There are plenty of “what if” novels about which path the USA might take, and following our editor’s reflection on the 2024 US election Paperback Riders will examine some of them this year. While many are of a distinctly dystopian persuasion, there are some chinks of light, and we’ll get to them in time. If you want to read ahead, the next ones we’ll cover are Allen M Steele’s reimagining of the American Revolution for the space age ‘Coyote’ and ‘Snow Crash’ by Neal Stephenson, which looks at what might happen if the federal government simply stopped governing. But we’ll start with the book that many commentators, including our own Mark Whitfield, have referenced.
Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is an exploration of a near-future dystopian society where women have been stripped of their rights and reduced to mere reproductive vessels. Set in the Republic of Gilead, a theocratic (religion-oriented) regime which has overthrown the United States government. The novel follows Offred, a Handmaid whose sole purpose is to bear children for elite couples unable to conceive themselves.
Atwood creates an intimate first-person narrative that draws readers directly into Offred’s psychology. The writing alternates between present-day experiences and flashbacks, revealing how American society gradually transformed from a modern democracy to an oppressive patriarchal state. This narrative shows how incremental changes can lead to catastrophic societal shifts.
The world-building is meticulous. Atwood creates a far too plausible dystopia by drawing from historical precedents of oppression and gender-based control. From the colour-coded clothing that denotes social status to the ritualised sexual encounters designed purely for reproductive purposes, aspects of Gilead can be found in too many places around the world. While it was written in 1985, the novel feels all too relevant to contemporary discussions about reproductive rights and authoritarian tendencies.
Atwood’s exploration of power dynamics, reproductive rights, and the systematic oppression of women is compelling. She doesn’t create a world of simple villains and heroes, but instead reveals the complex ways individuals survive and resist within deeply oppressive systems. Each character, from the subjugated Handmaids to the seemingly powerful Commanders and their Wives, is trapped in a dehumanising social structure. She covers themes of body autonomy, religious fundamentalism, and gender violence. The book serves as a stark warning about the potential consequences of extreme political ideologies and the erosion of individual freedoms. Offred’s inner monologue reveals the psychological strategies people employ when faced with extreme oppression – negotiating survival, finding small moments of rebellion, and maintaining inner dignity despite external dehumanisation.
The novel’s epilogue is presented as an academic conference discussing the historical documents of Gilead. This adds another layer to the story and offers some critical distance suggesting that even the most seemingly permanent systems of oppression can eventually fall, while also questioning how future generations might interpret and understand past atrocities.
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is a challenging read, it also feels like an essential one, not just because as we mentioned above so many people are connecting it to a possible direction for the USA over the next few years. The need to confront uncomfortable truths about power, gender, and the fragility of democratic systems is a message we perhaps should all heed. Not just in the second term of Trump’s America but in Russia, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, where patriarchies are looking to suppress women and minorities. Atwood’s sociopolitical commentary resonates decades after its initial publication.
