The Handmaid’S Tale … Information For Anyone Who’S Interested

[naomi24]

If anyone is, like me, itching to read the book but reluctant to do so because they don’t want to spoil the television series for themselves ….. good news. I am reliably informed that the book covers only the first series …. so we won’t know the real ending until we’ve watched the complete production. Buying the book as we speak!!

[ladybirder]

But not surprising, sadly.

[ladybirder]

Interesting stuff thanks Naomi and AuntL.

[naomi24]

AL, Yes, I saw or read that. I also read that the original seed was sown when the author lived in a divided Berlin and, metaphorically peeking over the wall into the east, realised how quickly people may be suppressed and controlled, and the norms of life destroyed. She wasn’t wrong there.

As I suspected, Christianity doesn’t feature in the world of Gilead, and the book confirms that. The church has been closed for years and is now some sort of neglected museum. Gilead’s religion, in my opinion, is a philosophy constructed upon some of the bible’s darkest and most bizarre texts, the concept of the Handmaid just one of them. Margaret Atwood is a very smart lady! My admiration for her and for this incredible story she’s produced knows no bounds.

[AuntLydia]

Naomi I've just had a horrible thought.....Have you come across the 'unbabies' yet in the book? Maybe offred is going to give birth and the baby will be classed as an unbaby and taken away, maybe by Aunt Lydia? Maybe Commander Waterford will be blamed for this 'unbaby' ( the rape) and punished. Maybe this will allow offred to return to the commanders house and open up another storyline where offred will be looking for her baby. Probably pure conjecture but I'm not looking forward to this as a story line considering the other name for unbabies is 'shredders'.

[naomi24]

AL, I came across that just this afternoon. Ghastly! One way or another I think the baby has to go, but why would Waterford be punished? Is fathering an unbaby a punishable offence? I'm not with you.

[ladybirder]

I'm lost now. Waterford hasn't fathered a baby, un or otherwise has he? And I hardly dare ask but what is an unbaby and/or a shredder?

[naomi24]

LB, we know he hasn't ... but according to the outside world he has.

As far as I could ascertain from the book - and I've only just touched on the subject - unbabies are born with terrible deformities ... grotesque ....monstrous .... that sort of thing..... all as a result of nuclear and chemical contamination. I guess calling the, shredders means the solution is to shred them. (I'm actually screwing my face up struggling to write this).

[naomi24]

*the,* ... them.

[cassa333]

If I remember rightly an Unbaby is either stillborn or deformed.

I don’t think Nick is dead. He was shot (or a shot went out) and he was dragged into the car but I think it is a set up by the commander to show his authority over them both.

Sarena Joy wants Offred to go as soon as the baby is born but I think she will change her mind. She saw the difference to the baby in the hospital when the mother handmaiden held him.

I do know the ending of this series as I thought I had missed an episode so watched a trailer and reviews about it.. although I like knowing what happens I would much prefer to not know this time.

[cassa333]

Also I’m wondering how big is Gilead? They seem to drive for hours and the train took a long time.

Where is the border crossing they went over from in the first series? There was thick snow so they could be further north maybe Alaska?

[naomi24]

As I understand it America is now quite small but I assume the Canadian border must be as it always was because Canada hasn't been affected by the war. Canada would be pretty miffed at any changes to its border anyway. I think the heavy snow is par for the course in Canada.

[cassa333]

The snow was on Gilead territory though. But there was non in the home town where they live. Have we established which city it was?

[naomi24]

Cambridge, Massachusetts.

I've just come across this which shows the various territories. I'll have a more thorough look at that tomorrow. Too tired now.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/6281782/republic-gilead-handmaids-tale-season-2-colonies-offred/

Night ladies.

[cassa333]

So Gilead doesn’t appear to be the largest ‘country’ but not the smallest. And the colonies seem to be an extension of Gilead. I wonder what the other countries are like? Is Gilead a model for the others or is it just them that reverted to fundamentalism?

The diplomat that visited was from Mexico I think said they were having the same problems with fertility. Is it a problem of the America’s because of the war or is it a world wide problem?

[cassa333]

Massachusetts is higher up than I thought they were. The location reminds me of the brown stone properties of New York. But their territory seems to go all the way down to South Carolina.

Were there two nuclear devices that went off? As the colonies seem to be two separate but close areas.

[Rockrose]

Serena told Fred in the last seried he was not the babies father and that he would have to accept it or let everyone know he was a dud.
Serena also egged Fred on to rape Offfred to bring on labour as revenge for Offred making Serena look a fool at the labour ceremony.

[naomi24]

Rockrose, I don’t recall Serena telling Fred he wasn’t the father. As far as I’m aware Offred told him in last week’s episode when she gave him a much deserved verbal kicking.

Cassa, details of the war are vague, but ‘America’ looks to be reduced to Alaska. I’ve been trying to work out which, if any, of the surrounding lands are friendly to Gilead, or colonies of Gilead, but with little success. The more I look the more confusing it becomes. Any ideas?

[Rockrose]

There was a row between Serena and Fred in the last season and I thought she told him then.
I will see if I can find it.

[AuntLydia]

Naomi. To answer your question about the punishment of Fred: Maybe it is an offence to have sex with a handmaiden once pregnancy is confirmed? The aim of the 'ceremony' is to conceive, once this has been achieved there should be no reason for the commander to have sex with the handmaiden. Just a thought....maybe he is beyond the Law. Roll on Sunday!

[ladybirder]

Rockrose is right.
I have found a link from the end of Season 1 that reads, "Serena Joy reveals Offred's pregnancy to her husband and tells him the baby isn't his because he is weak".
I am not putting the link up as it goes on to tell what happens in the remaining episodes of Season 2.