Reading of "The Handmaid's Tale"

I have seen a number of people mention that a number of things that we are dealing with in present-day United States as being from several books. One of those books is "Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood.

Having never heard of this book, I was unaware of what this book described. However, I was going to find out. Learning from others is a great opportunity to make yourself better.

Thoughts

There are things that stand out to me in the book. These items, in no particular order, are listed below.

The wealth and value of a handmaid, was significantly impacted by their she could concieve.

This is stated in the opening of the book, and immediately rang a bell. He who shall not be named, came up with the idea that every woman that births a child would receive $5k. To those that do not know, it sounds like a great deal. Having two kids, that is horrible. Day care for one of my kids, before any discounts, runs over that amount per year. That doesn't factor in diapers, baby furniture, clothes, and all those other things that babies need. Nor does it include the doctor visits for the mother, the sleepless nights for the father, and any other incidentials that may occur.

Surveillance

There is a lot of big brother or micromanaging in this book. Those actual terms are not used in the book, but when the people in the book have to seek around to have conversations, it gives vibes that the maids in the story cannot be left to do things on their own or think for their own.

Forced, Ignoring the Consequences

The women in the book are told what to do, similar to how inmates are. Those that do not, will receive consequences. The women who are essentially being bred, are under the control of others, including the wives of the men that they are intimate with.

This is somewhat similar to current times as we are told what is believed that we want to hear, because some people cannot handle to the truth and the narrative has to be controlled. Because of recent events, I reduced my time spent watching news. Typically watch PBS NewsHour because they do not always start the news cast talking about killings that have taken place or just constantly focusing on the negatives going on in the world.

Conclusion

We all need to be aware of what is going on around us in the current times. Also learn to control what you watch or read because all news is not good news.