"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

In the novel, there are levels of society that are bodly defined.  First, the Cmmander and his wife, important for building a family.  However, several Commanders and wives are on the upper end of age and connot reproduce, so they call for handmaids.  Handmaids are needed for reproduction, and solely reproduction, nothing else.  There are also Martha's, used for cooking, cleaning, and house chores.  The Commanders are working men, while the wives stay home and sit around knitting or relaxing.  In this particular situation, there is the Commander, his wife, Serena Joy, the handmaid Offred, and the Martha Cora.  They all live in the Commander's house, however, in very different living conditions.  Focusing on the handmaids, there rooms are primarily white, and all objects that they could possibly use for self harm are removed.  Once a month there is a ceremony, involving the Commander, his wife, and the handmaid.  This respected ceremony is the sole purpose of the handmaid.  Offred must once a month hope that the Commander impregnates her, allowing her to fulfill her duty as a handmaid.  However, this novel is based in an age where births are declining, so the pregnancy rate is extremely low, that is why the position of handmaids has been brought into play.  Although, the Commanders tend to be on the older side affecting the chances of becoming pregnant.  On the contrary, men claim they cannot be sterile, that if a handmaid does not become pregnant, that it is their fault and they are sterile.  If a handmaid does not become pregnant within a certain amount of time, they can be sent to another home.  For Offred, the home with the Commander and Serena Joy was her second home.  For Offred, she had a life before this society changed, she had a husband and a daughter, however, when things changed she lost them both.  She does not know where they are or even if they are alive.  Sadly, being a handmaid is the only thing she has left in her life, the only reason to be alive, hence the reason why all dangerous objects have been removed from their grasp.  Offred later learns that her mother was of the rebellious type, supporting the pro-choice option of life.  In the society that Offred lives in, they do not have a choice, once they have given birth to the child the commander and wife take and raise them.  Handmaids are viewed solely as a uterus, a womb for a child to grow and mature in, then to eventually leave.  Handmaids do not raise or be a part of the childs life.  This novel shows the corruption that can occur if a society bases its laws off of selective views.  Nothing productive can come from a society such as this one.

In this novel, there are many powerful quotes, however, one that stood put in my opinion and is my favorite is "I can listen to my own heartbeat against the bedsprings, I can stroke myself, under the dry white sheets, in the dark, but I too am dry and white, hard, granular; it's like snow.  There's something dead about it, something deserted.  I am like a room where things once happened and now nothing does".  This quote is extremely powerful, given from the mind of Offred.  She is looking back on how degrading this society can be.  This society and its rules degrade a handmaid, and view them as only a source for reproduction, when in fact there is a person under their clothing.  Offred used to be full of life and happy, however, now that every enjoyment in her life has been stripped from her, leaving her nothing.  Luke and her daughter were her main reason for living, now they are gone.  What must she do to remain sane?  Maragaret Atwood wrote this novel to tell people how not to run a scoiety and basically how to prevent tragedy. 

In my opinion, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is an excellent book about a distopian society controlling the actions of its citizens.  Everyone has a place whether it be a Commander, handmaid, or Martha.  This society even has people called Eyes.  The Eyes monitor the actions of citizens to ensure they are abiding by the set laws.  People of this community cannot function without the thought in the back of their mind that what if they were to do something that an Eye would see.  In my personal opinion, if I was dropped into a society such as this, I would not be as calm and collected as Offred is.  However, I dont think going crazy and being irrational will help in anyway.  The way to accept what is happening to you is to accept it and move on.  I would recommend this book to a mature audience.

"We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin

In this novel, a distopian society is controlled by the Benefactor and the set rules of One State.  The theme of this novel is total control and isolation.  This select society is set apart from the rest of the world.  They are constricted to specific Table of Hours, charting out what they do and when for every hour of the day.  Each minute of every day is the same.  The main character D-503, has met a woman named I-330, who is considered to be a rebel.  She is part of an underground rebellion against One State and hte Benefeactor.  To the contrary, D-503 is the builder of the INTEGRAL, a great structure in One State.  One State as a whole envies three things, the praise of One State, the Benefactor, and Mathematics.  of one were to stray from any path set for them the would have the Operation, eliminating any remnance of defiance against either three, leaving them to walk the right path set by One State.  D-503 is left with the predicament, following the thoughts inside of his mind which contradict each other.  Should he continue to join the group with I-330 who continues to seduce him, or follow the path that has been set by One State.  He strives to have some variety in his life, yet he depends on the set path to keep him on track.  He is left with this dilema until he recieves the Operation and watched I-330 be executed without feeling.  His emotions and memory of his relationship with I-330 has been erased, leaving him only to follow the path layed out for him. 

From this novel my personal favorite quote is "You Uranites, stern and black as early Spaniards, you who were wise enough to do some burning at the stake, you are silent; I think you're with me.  But you rosy Venusians... among you I hear something about torture, executions, a return to the age of barbarism.  I'm sorry for you, old dears.  You aren't up to the philosophical-mathematical thinking."  this society called One State views themselves as scholarly individuals, which earlier civilization did not have.  D-503  feels bad for the previous societies for not being up to the mathematical and philosophical level as they are.  One State, similar to other communitites had public executions.  Although, D-503 contradicts himself by saying that the other societies were barbaric.  One State had a public execution when I-330 was executed.  So, both previous civilizations and One State have executions and were both acting in a barbaric manner. 

In my personal opinion, i enjoyed reading this book.  The author portrays a different type of society, however being similar to todays.  This distopian society, completely controlled by one figure and one set of rules.  This draws parallels to the one head figure being our President, and hte one set of rukes, the Constitution.  Inevitably parallels can be drawn to compare societies, however, the community portrayed in the book is an extremist view.  Personally, the reading of this book created insight into the restriction a society can face.  I would recommend people to read this book.