The Handmaids tale

[DumbledoresArmy]

Anyone else planning on watching this at 9pm on channel 4?

I don't think someone who is a high up Commander would have much ability to feel guilt. Especially not at some Handmaiden killing herself.

It was probably inconvenient for him though. And a fertile woman removed from the pool doesn't look good. And he hasn't got kids out of one yet. A bit embarrassing all round really.

Aren't Handmaid's that fail to conceive declared unwomen and sent to the colonies? It would make more sense for them to become marthas but as they live in a culture of punishment and blame it wouldn't surprise me for a handmaiden to be blamed.

I wonder how many handmaidens a commander can fail to impregnate before his status gets taken away from him? Or maybe never, as the Dr said, there's no such thing as a sterile man, only barren women. Chilling.

I would imagine a handmaiden's suicide would be very easily dismissed as her own failing and made sure to have no reflection on him. They would declare it an act of a mentally disturbed woman who god had to punish for her sins or whatever.

Oh I'm not saying he'd be blamed. And of course men can't be sterile (ha!). Just that it would be a bit...what's the word...one of those things that might get....mentioned amongst the ruling classes. With delicate pauses. You know. If this one killed herself too...well...

The kind of thing that might make people say well he's devout but his handmaidens have all killed themselves, I don't suppose you think anything...inproper goes on in that house do you? Nudge nudge. Etc.

They might look to blame the wives or the Marthas first?

I was under the impression that the "commanders" were just influential men, not necessarily those who founded the regime? Have I missed something major

Yes they probably would blame the wives for not having a good handle on their hand maidens.

The theory that fertility is solely down to the woman is positively medieval - reminds me of Henry VIII's quest to get a healthy male heir. There was never a suggestion that Henry might just not be very potent.

The wife is the husband though. He owns them all. Ultimately they are a unit in a set up like this.

Just my opinion obviously. But if I were a top man in a totalitarian regime, I wouldn't be promoting someone with a psycho wife who he couldn't control, to the extent that state assets kept killings themselves under her care.

Thinking of the handmaids as state assets helps (urgh), they would definitely blame the wives. They might be well married and influential, but they're not worth much to the state.

I thought they were men with good social standing beyond.

Is sex with their wives banned? Are they only allowed to have sex for purposes of procreation? Is that why he pushed his wife off when she went down on him? She seems very lonely in her marriage to him. I think i do feel sorry for her (though no more than i do for Offred). She must know she's there but for the grace of God. As a barren woman she could be shipped off to the colonies at any time. It's such a scary regime and the rules could change at any time. Which means Offred conceiving isn't just about her desire for a baby; being a mother will keep her in the comfortable position she's in.

I get the impression that sex is only for procreation. Therefore he isn't meant to have sex with his wife, since there's no chance of her conceiving.

The wife may have a perfectly good reproductive system of course. I wonder how that would be explained if she had an affair and got pregnant. Miracle (assuming they'd blame the woman for any problems) or prosecution (because they hate women)? Hmm...

The answer to that is much easier to guess if recreational sex (even in marriage) is banned

Is it Elizabeth in the bible who has a baby at 40-odd after they'd given up hope? Biblical precedence for a 'miracle'. If the guy liked his wife and didn't suspect an affair.

If he wanted rid and/or suspected, I'm guessing she's be executed.

I think Elizabeth was well over 50?

Just says "old" on wiki (how helpful!)

Sarah, Abraham's wife was barren until she was in her 90s. Her handmaiden had the illegitimate son first but he was not made heir.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying the adaptation even though it makes me angry at times. When Moira said "This is so fucked" last night, I said "yep" aloud.

I'm reading the book at the same time but I've still not decided what to think of the commander in terms of what he's after from Offred. He is using her as much as she is using him, I think.

Wasn't the commander last night talking about negotiating deals with other countries last night, when his wife asked him about work? Something about the UN wanting to stop the Euro falling in value? It sounded like he was someone in a position of power.

He's high up. That's already been established in the show, Ofglen told her he was. And it's clear in the book too.

Had a discussion about this at a school I visited today in the staffroom. Someone had seen it and was discussing it - no one else had heard of it. Have to admit the way the person described it did not make people want to watch it - think Poldark was winning. Someone asked when it was set...that's an interesting question.

If there was high unemployment before the coup, you can see why some men might think, 'Well, it's horrible but at least I have a job now

Isn't that what happened after the WW1 and WW2? Women were utilised in industry but when the men returned, they were expected to go back to being housewives and presumably there was an expectation to have children to replace the population that had been killed?

I keep getting mixed up in my head with The Handmaid's Take and Children of Men

I thought the doctor was genuinely trying to help, but yes, may get some of his guilt-assuaging and feeling-better-about-himself but 'helping' handmaids.

Humans are capable of extraordinary levels of denial and compartmentalisation IMO and IME. I think that's how Commanders can be part of the system while being superficially 'nice'. I have thought about this a lot and I think that is how so many Germans were capable of committing horrible atrocities while being 'nice' to their loved ones. And 'bothering' and believing in some kind of 'higher purpose': whether religion or the Glory of the Fatherland

I have mentioned watching THT to various people in RL and nobody else has even heard of it. Sigh.
Thank goodness for this thread

The person in the staffroom did make that comment about what happened if she did get pregnant via the doctor but had not had sex with the Commander...

OTOH, you get a new baby being born.

But OTOH, the repercussions would have been terrible. Even for someone whose fertility seems to be treasured. That doesn't stop them mistreating them.

There's no prenatal testing though, so no accurate dating. So long as the ceremony was successful the month before or after, I reckon you could get away with it.