Utopian Done Right...

So I had never been exactly thrilled with the whole feminist overlord idea where men are pigs and can't do anything right. I see it as a stupid double standard society has placed on men and neglects to see. Men have value and can be oppressed and stereotyped just as easily as women. I felt that the "Handmaid's Tale" showed feminism properly. Feminism is not necessarily the empowerment of women but finding equality amongst the genders. By showing that in a society where women are overly "respected" and limited by that respect both the men and women are repressed. for example the commander was completely starved of the human intimacy that he required. If it was purely physical the commander would be frolicking in this promiscuous wasteland, instead he is begging a woman to play scrabble with him and to kiss him like she meant it.

The dysfunction in this society is evident and the good intentions the people had when creating it are understandable, but contrary to the good intentions the actions were carried out to their fullest and caused chaos. This is how Utopian should be written. it engages the reader and instills fear without trying to come off as too futuristic. When you have stories like "We" and "Anthem" they can sometimes feel a bit hokey and overdone, as if the author had exhausted themselves trying to make us believe. I found the handmaids tale to be foreboding and powerful with out the forced sense of realism. I can only compare it to the fairy tales one hears as a child, the kind that when upon first encounter the listener smiles until they realize its about the plague or horrible injustices in society.  I think the "Handmaid's Tale" has earned itself a solid four out of five. It kept me guessing and its poetic language was a pleasing relief from the sharp and often staccato feel of the futuristic Utopian novel.