When was The Handmaid’s Tale written?

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When was The Handmaid’s Tale written?

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood was written in the 1980s and first published in 1986. The novel’s subject matter and themes reflect political events of this era.

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The Handmaid’s Tale was first published in 1986. The novel is set in the near future and serves as a warning of the direction in which the world might be heading.

At the time of writing the novel, Margaret Atwood was concerned by events taking place in the US. There had been a swing towards more conservative politics when the right-wing Republican Ronald Reagan became president. This was accompanied by the increasing popularity of right-wing Christian groups such as the Moral Majority. Advocating a return to more traditional values, these groups campaigned to ban abortion. As part of their promotion of family values, the Moral Majority argued that women should return to their traditional homemaking roles.

During this period, some of the most prominent spokespeople for the reversal of women’s rights were women. Phyllis Schlafly, for example, led a movement to obstruct the passing of the Equal Rights Amendment. This desire to reverse women’s rights arose as a backlash against the feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

In The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood explores what might happen if these right-wing movements became powerful enough to take over the US. By highlighting the miserable fates of handmaids like Offred, the novel shows the consequences of interfering with women’s reproductive and employment rights. Meanwhile, in the character of Serena Joy, the author critiques women like Phyllis Schlafly who fought to eradicate the rights women fought so hard to achieve. After encouraging other women to return to more traditional roles as a TV televangelist, Serena Joy is shown to be miserable when she has to follow her own advice:

She doesn’t make speeches anymore. She has become speechless. She stays in her home, but it doesn’t seem to agree with her. How furious she must be, now that she’s been taken at her word.

Another influence on The Handmaid’s Tale was the oppressive political atmosphere of East Germany in the 1980s. While writing the novel, Atwood spent some time in West Berlin, which was still separated from East Germany by the Berlin Wall. Gilead’s secret police (the Eyes) and the killing of anyone who opposes the regime were inspired by the real-life tactics of Communist-controlled East Germany.

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