Published in 1985, The Handmaid's Tale, written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, eventually became an original series on Hulu. It was also made into a film. Film and television adaptations of the novel incorporate more explicit scenes, LGBTQ+ characters, and racial injustice to amplify the messages of the original novel. It may surprise viewers that Margaret Atwood's novel is, in fact, banned in some places in the United States and Canada.
The Handmaid's Tale follows Offred as she fights for freedom and identity in the totalitarian Republic of Gilead, where women are treated as property of the state. Offred is trained as a handmaid and forced to serve as a surrogate mother for the male ruling class in Gilead. She attempts to escape and reunite with her husband and daughter. Although her true identity is never revealed in the book, Offred's real name is June Osborne in the Hulu series.
Why is The Handmaid's Tale banned in America?
Several US states have banned The Handmaid's Tale, including Texas, Florida and Oregon. The Handmaid's Tale was removed from schools and libraries in the United States in 2022. It is among the most prominent titles that are banned in several states across the country. The list of banned books included 1,648 books and affected 5,049 schools in 32 states. Forty percent of the books addressed LGBTQ+ themes in some way, some with LGBTQ+ characters. About 40 percent of the books featured characters of color, and 21 percent touched on race and racism.
In the case of Texas, a law was recently passed to address discussions of “human sexuality” and “material that might make students uncomfortable… or convey the idea that a student, by virtue of his or her race or gender, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether knowingly or unknowingly” in school settings. TThe Handmaid's Talewith its inclusion of an LGBTQ character and discussion of feminism, religious extremism and sexuality, it landed on the state's list of 800 banned books. Texas schools also cited profanity and anti-Christian sentiment in their decision to ban The Handmaid's Tale.
The ban that bars books from libraries and schools was born out of complaints from angry parents, and school boards have used it as an excuse to ban several books from libraries. “As you know, a growing number of parents of Texas students are rightfully outraged by the highly inappropriate books and other content in public school libraries,” Abbott of the Texas Association of School Boards wrote in a letter about the ban. “Your action should ensure that no Texas child is exposed to pornography or obscene content while in a Texas public school.”
Which other countries have banned The Handmaid's Tale?
Canada Censored The Handmaid's Tale for the depiction of violence and offensive language. Other countries, including Portugal and Spain, have removed the book from public access for security reasons. sexual content, profanity, anti-Christianity, and LGBTQ+ charactersAccording to writer Sima Sharifi, the Persian translation of the book published in Iran had the text altered so as not to “put the idea into women's heads that they would be rewarded for activism.”
Margaret Atwood Questions Virginia's Ban on The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale Author Margaret Atwood published an article in The Atlantic in 2023, responding to the Madison County, Virginia, school board banning her book from high school libraries because it contained explicit sexual content. Similar to Texas, the state has allowed parents to ban books from libraries. She has argued that the official rationale for banning her book is ridiculous, saying her book “is far less sexually explicit than the Bible.”
Restricting what children can read based on religious views is also a form of totalitarianism. The author stated that although her book has been misunderstood as anti-Christian, The Handmaid's Tale was partly inspired by biblical texts and “contrasts an inner faith and core Christian values, which I believe are embodied in love of neighbor and forgiveness of sins, with totalitarian control and accumulation of power masked by a supposed religiosity that is based primarily on early Bible writings.” The author suspected that the real reason for banning her books lay elsewhere.
Atwood is right. It makes little sense that her book is banned, while film and TV adaptations that include more explicit scenes are not. Banning her book from libraries only affects those who cannot afford to buy books. She raised the issue of book censorship in the age of social media and streaming platforms, and whether parents should be allowed to control what 16-18 year olds can and cannot read, since 16 is considered a legal age for marriage in some places.
The Handmaid's Tale describes a dystopian society in which the authoritarian Christian theocratic regime of Gilead has taken over the United States. The fifth season of the Hulu series delves further into June's story. The provocative nature of the topics covered in the story may be uncomfortable for some people, especially those related to sex, birth control, and women's rights. The book does contain occasional profanity and touches on emotional and physical violence. However, contrary to the official statement about the book's ban, sex is only mentioned in the book. There is no direct description, on the page, of explicit activity. Although The Handmaid's Tale It was written for adults, the book often appears on high school reading lists. The author has since partnered with Penguin Random House to create a fireproof version to ensure her book won't burn.
The Handmaid's Tale Includes an LGBTQ Character
The Handmaid's Tale featured a strong and fierce LGBTQ+ character. Moira is known for her intelligence and courage. The system tries to define her, but she chooses not to submit. Moira's strength and courage serve as an inspiration to the other Handmaids. However, her tragic end gives readers a chilling look at power and oppression. The Handmaid's Tale It doesn't just include homosexuality, the book tells the story of oppression and injustice. It's fiction, but it mirrors reality in ways that are ugly.
There is only one queer character in the book. Moira is Offred's best friend. They have known each other since they were teenagers. They are both Handmaids at the Red Center. Although Moira has had relationships with men in the past, she finds herself in much more fulfilling relationships with women. Moira is an activist and gender egalitarian. She has attempted to escape the Red Center twice, and before that, she tried to escape the Republic of Gilead when it began to conquer the United States. At that time, Moira almost made it to Canada, but was captured and brought back.
She then meets Offred at the Red Center, where she attempts to escape twice. Moira never planned to submit to Gilead's rules. She resists training at the Red Center and refuses to be defined by Gilead, which leads to her second escape attempt from Gilead and her first from the Red Center. She is captured again, and this time Moira is tortured as punishment for her actions. In a world where handmaids live to serve the sole purpose of reproduction, Aunt Lydia justifies the torture by reminding women that they do not need hands or legs to serve their purposes.
Despite the consequences, Moira attempts to escape for the third time. She confronts Aunt Elizabeth and steals her high-ranking clothes to help her escape. Because of her success in escaping the Red Center, the women consider her a symbol of rebellion and a legend. However, Moira's story ends on a tragic note. It turns out she has been captured again and this time Gilead manages to catch up with her. Moira works as a prostitute with a broken spirit. She and Offred meet again many years later, but sadly Moira is almost unrecognizable. Simple pleasures like cigarettes and alcohol dominate her decision making. She lives for these “forbidden luxuries” and only tolerates her life.
The Handmaid's Tale tackles women's rights in patriarchal society
Moira's desperate need to escape Gilead is understandable, given that queerness is treated as treason and queer people are stripped of human rights in the Republic of Gilead (which Moira eventually is). Gilead's patriarchal social structure ensures that “both men and women who do not fulfill their roles in the patriarchal system are punished.” Moira, as a lesbian, is considered a gender traitor, but she is just one of many “transgressors” who “fail” in their duties as women.
“Unwomen” are those who are single, divorced, or unfaithful. Human rights activists, nuns, journalists, protesters, feminists, and handmaids who fail to procreate in three two-year assignments are all considered “unwomen.” They have no human rights, which means they are subjected to forced labor without question and can be executed at any time. Moira sees what is coming, and that is why she runs away. Although she is seen as a symbol of rebellion by the other handmaids, Moira is only trying to survive. This makes her end all the more heartbreaking because, in the end, there is no way out. The only way for her to exist is to obey and let Gilead take away her identity and everything that makes her Moira.