Let's be honest, when I first heard about The Handmaid's Tale years back, I thought it was just another dystopian story. Boy, was I wrong. After watching the series twice and reading the book during lockdown, I realized it's so much more than that. But what exactly is this story trying to tell us?
That's the question so many people have when they search for "the handmaid's tale is about what". It's not just asking for a plot summary - it's a deeper inquiry into the soul of Margaret Atwood's creation. Let's unpack this together.
Confession time: When I first watched Episode 3, I had to pause and walk around my apartment. That scene where June gets separated from her daughter? It hit me right in the gut. I called my sister that night just to hear her kids playing in the background. That's the power of this story - it crawls under your skin.
The Core Essence of Gilead
At its simplest level, The Handmaid's Tale is about what happens when religious extremists overthrow the U.S. government. They create the Republic of Gilead where women become property. Fertile women become "Handmaids" - walking wombs forced to bear children for the ruling class. Our main character Offred (real name June) is one such Handmaid.
But that description feels hollow, doesn't it? Like calling a hurricane "some wind and rain." What the handmaid's tale is truly about what happens to humanity:
- How quickly rights disappear when people stay silent
- The horrific ways women's bodies become political battlefields
- The psychology of oppression - both for victims and perpetrators
- That slippery slope from "protecting values" to tyranny
Margaret Atwood's Non-Negotiables
The author famously stated that everything in the book has happened somewhere in history. No invented atrocities. That's what chills me most. When people ask "the handmaid's tale is about what", they're really asking how plausible this nightmare is.
| Historical Inspiration | How It Appears in Gilead | Real-World Occurrence |
|---|---|---|
| Salem Witch Trials | Public executions of "gender traitors" | 17th century Massachusetts |
| Nazi Germany | Classification badges (Handmaids' red uniforms) | 1938-1945 Jewish star requirement |
| Ceausescu's Romania | Forced birth under state control | 1966-1989 Decree 770 |
| American Slavery | Ownership of women's reproductive capacity | Pre-1865 breeding of enslaved people |
Seeing this list still makes my hands cold. What the handmaid's tale is about what humanity has already done, not just what it might do.
Characters as Living Symbols
Serena Joy Waterford confuses people. She helped build Gilead yet gets locked out of power. Why? She represents educated women who support oppressive systems then get shocked when the oppression includes them. I've met real Serena Joys - women who campaign against reproductive rights until they need IVF themselves.
Let's break down the key players:
| Character | Role | What They Symbolize | Personal Take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offred/June | Handmaid | Resilience in dehumanization | Her internal monologue saves the show |
| Serena Joy | Commander's Wife | Collaborator's dilemma | Most frustrating character - brilliantly acted |
| Aunt Lydia | Handmaid Trainer | Institutionalized cruelty | Scariest character - we all know bureaucrats like her |
| Commander Waterford | Ruling Class | Power's corruption | Least believable - too cartoonishly evil sometimes |
My book club nearly came to blows arguing about Aunt Lydia. Sarah argued she's a victim too. Tom said she's pure evil. Me? I think she's the most dangerous kind of person - someone who believes cruelty is kindness. That argument lasted longer than our discussion of the actual book!
Beyond Feminism: The Universal Themes
Yes, The Handmaid's Tale is about what happens to women when patriarchy wins. But shrink it down to just gender issues? You miss Atwood's warning shot across all our bows.
Consider how Gilead controls everyone:
- Men below Commanders: Can't marry without state approval
- Economics: All bank accounts transferred to male relatives
- Religion: Only state-approved Christianity allowed
- LGBTQ+: "Gender traitors" executed or sent to colonies
When my conservative uncle watched it, he saw something different: "They took everyone's guns first!" He wasn't wrong. The pre-Gilead scenes show gun confiscation before the takeover. That's what makes this story brilliant - it holds up different mirrors to different viewers.
The Slow Creep of Tyranny
Season 2, Episode 1 wrecked me. June's flashback to the banking crisis? That's where the handmaid's tale is about what we ignore daily:
"The day everything changed, I barely noticed. My credit card got declined at Starbucks. Again."
That casual line explains more about authoritarian takeovers than any political science textbook. How freedoms vanish:
- Financial control (women's accounts frozen)
- Employment restrictions (women fired en masse)
- Travel bans (passports invalidated)
- Communication shutdown (internet "for security")
- Physical segregation (neighborhood checkpoints)
See any familiar patterns? That's why people keep asking "the handmaid's tale is about what" - they sense these parallels but can't quite articulate them.
Why the Red Cloaks Haunt Us
The visual language tells its own story. Those blood-red Handmaid cloaks aren't just costumes - they're psychological warfare.
| Symbol | Meaning | Real-Life Counterpart |
|---|---|---|
| Red Cloaks | Fertility/Shame | Scarlet Letter's "A" made flesh |
| Wings (Headgear) | Blindered Control | Horse blinders limiting vision |
| Wall Hangings | Public Terror | ISIS execution videos as deterrent |
| Eye Symbol | Omnipresent Surveillance | China's social credit system |
Your Burning Questions Answered
Based on what people actually search when they wonder "the handmaid's tale is about what":
Is This Based on Real Events?
Yes and no. Atwood used historical precedents but created a new society. The forced birth ceremonies? Inspired by Genesis 30:1-3 but also Argentina's stolen babies during the Dirty War.
Why Focus Only on White Fertility?
Good catch - the show improved this. In Season 1, non-white Handmaids appear rarely. Later seasons address racial hierarchies within Gilead more directly. Book purists argue this was always implied.
Could This Happen Here?
Look around. Since 2017 (when the show premiered), we've seen:
- Roe v. Wade overturned
- Book bans surging 65% in schools
- Transgender healthcare criminalized in multiple states
The Adaptation Evolution
Funny story - I tried convincing friends to read the book for years. Zero takers. Then the show dropped. Suddenly everyone became Gilead scholars. But the show diverges significantly:
| Element | Book Version | TV Adaptation |
|---|---|---|
| Offred's Fate | Ambiguous (arrested?) | Becomes resistance leader |
| Gilead's Geography | Only Northeast US | Controls most of continental US |
| Race | Implied segregation | Explicitly addressed in later seasons |
| Tone | Quiet psychological horror | More action-driven narrative |
Personally, I prefer the book's ambiguity. That last line - "Are there any questions?" - still gives me shivers. The show's more Hollywood approach? Entertaining but loses some subtlety.
Why This Story Won't Let Go
Here's the uncomfortable truth: The Handmaid's Tale is about what we trade for comfort. June had warning signs. We all do:
I'll never forget arguing with a neighbor about climate change denial. He shrugged: "Scientists just want grant money." That's when I understood how Gilead happens - not with dramatic revolutions, but with shrugs.
The story endures because it shows three brutal truths:
- Oppression dresses in moral language ("protecting the children")
- Normal people become collaborators (see: Econowives)
- Resistance comes at unbearable costs (June loses everything)
When protestors wear Handmaid costumes at state capitals, they're saying: "We recognize this playbook." That's what the handmaid's tale is about what happens when we stop recognizing our own society.
The Testaments: Hope or Exploitation?
Atwood's 2019 sequel confused many fans. Without spoilers, I'll say this: It feels like fan service compared to the original's raw power. The complex villains become simpler. The resistance gets Hollywood endings. Still worth reading? Sure. But it lacks the first book's terrifying plausibility.
Final Thoughts From a Reluctant Expert
After all these years dissecting "the handmaid's tale is about what", here's where I land: It's not prophecy. It's diagnosis. Atwood dissected authoritarian impulses present in every society. The fertility crisis framing? Just the delivery method.
The most quoted line - "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum" (Don't let the bastards grind you down) - gets tattooed on forearms worldwide. But we often miss the context: It's carved into a closet by a dead Handmaid. Survival isn't victory. It's persistence.
So when someone asks you "what the handmaid's tale is about", tell them this: It's about the world outside your window. Just pushed a few degrees further than we'd like to admit.
My niece asked me last Thanksgiving: "Why do you watch such depressing stuff?" I showed her June's speech in Season 4: "They should've never given us uniforms if they didn't want us to be an army." Her eyes widened. That's why we need this story - to turn despair into defiance.