There is a TV series on Hulu that was based on a novel with the time setting 30 years before. But critics saw it as relevant and real in the present time. "The Handmaid's Tale" is a book written by Margaret Atwood in 1985.
A film in 1990 and an opera in 2000 have been made based on the book. It was also adapted in BBC Radio and was made into an audio book. Hulu has made a 10-episode series this year that premiered on April 26.
The plot of the dystopian series passes the horror genre and according to Nerdist, it is horrifying. It is a story of a married woman with one child who used to live the normal American existence when all of a sudden a change of regime happened.
A religious coup (they call themselves Sons of Jacob) happened after the president was killed and the satisfying life June lived suddenly became hellish. She was taken away from her family and became a "handmaid." She was named Offred (literally "Of Fred" because her master was named Fred). She became a "two legged-womb" because she was chosen to bear a child for the childless Fred and Serena Joy (believed to be barren).
Her entry into the household of the cult commander caused her to undergo a "ceremony" where she has to have a one-time sexual intercourse with Fred that was intended for conception. But the commander later had an illicit affair with her.
The "ceremony" is the most humiliating act committed against a woman chosen to be a "handmaid." For the Wife, it is the most offensive act. The "handmaid" has to lie on her back between the legs of the Wife while the husband is doing his thing to cause conception.
The new administration called the Republic of Gilead declared women without rights not even on her own body. Their bodies are politicized and controlled. Women were classified according to their capacity to bear children. Those who are able to bear children were made into baby makers because Gilead's women were mostly infertile due to sexually-transmitted diseases.
Wired reported that the series is relevant and timely in present-day America. Women in today's society are aware of their rights and have been fighting for equality which is non-existent during the Gilead times. Present-day women fight to have control over their bodies and decide on their sexuality which is totally opposite during the time of the handmaid in "The Handmaid's Tale."
They have the right to decide on things concerning children. Women are given equal opportunities with men in all levels of society, especially in politics. There are laws protecting them and their children.
"The Handmaid's Tale" has a stellar cast composed of Elizabeth Moss (Offred), Yvone Strahovski, Joseph Fiennes, Alexis Bledel, Samira Wiley, O-T Fagbenle, Max Minghella, and many others. It is aired every Wednesday on Hulu.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
