Women and Religion
So, I've just started reading 'The Handmaid's Tale' by Margaret Atwood, the book is set in sort of post apocalyptic civilization. Al tough, the reader has not yet been given a clear view of what has happened we can make educated guesses about a few key things. For example, it is pretty damn clear that religion is going to play a massive part of the story, it seems as if a religious institution ( similar to Christianity ) has complete and utter control of the world we are introduced to. It also seems as if there is some sort of religious war going on we are getting the view from a citizen of the religious side. Albeit she doesn't seem to be completely happy with the civilization she is a part of. Another major aspect of the story so far is fertility. Whether or not a women is able to have a child seems to be a big deal with a large amount of women being unable. There are many mentions of giving birth but very few mentions of children. It would appear to us that the main characters ( whose name, Offred, we get from the back cover ) is a handmaid, a specific role ( whether optionally or not ) where her purpose is to have a baby.
That is the background to the story as I currently understand it, what I don't understand fully is what is the role of the women ( especially the handmaids ). The majority of the characters we have met so far are women. Some of which seem to be completely educated and smart. And yet, it would appear that the men in the story naturally have more power and control. For instance, the main male character we have been introduced by this point is the Commander, who most of the main female characters so far seem to be working for. If it is a religious story and setting then this would be in keeping with many real world religions. They seem to be the dominated force despit the fact that they are pretty much the sole hope for humanity as they have the chance to give birth to the future generation.
