Trigger warning: This post contains discussion about rape, sexual abuse and mistreatment of women. Spoiler alert: Dont read unless you have watched the first four episodes of Hulus The Handmaids Tale. The Handmaids Tale has a sense of humor, you guys! Gay people are always coming out of the closet to survive. Offred goes into the closet to find the strength to save herself. How hilarious!Last week the show finished on a highly disturbing note: The government essentially turned Ofglen into a Barbie. It was pointed out to me that the shot was highly stylized, Ofglen sporting a futuristic-looking, transparent girdle over her mangled vagina. The ugliness of their world is made more unsettling by its gauzy, jewel-toned beauty.Episode 4, Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum (Dont Let the Bastards Grind You Down), this weeks slower-paced installment, was practically a frothy relief, full of flashbacks featuring Moira and Offred/June making an escape from the high school gym/Stepford training camp. In Gilead women have to hurt each other in order to stay alive. Patriarchal societies rely on women turning against one another, which is not a novel concept; we live this reality every day in American society.Ive been frustrated with the landscape of American politics as of late. Michelle Obama said, When they go low, we go high. Dont we, though' Its a liberal curse in a way. Moira couldnt stomach really hurting Aunt Elizabeth during the escape. She left her oppressor tied to a pole, screaming, a choice that threatened Moiras safe passage. Pointing out Moiras compassion is victim-blaming to an extent; I recognize this, but I think its OK to feel disappointed when a character chooses the moral high ground over revenge or even personal security. We know Moiras a feminist, the flashbacks showed that, so its her values and her human decency that dictate her behavior. She sticks to her beliefs despite the stress and the torture shes endured at the hands of other women. One could argue that Moira maintaining her sense of self, her identity, even in the worst conditions is, itself, survival.The Commander flouts convention several times, exposing his discomfort with the strict rules of Gilead. He attempts to connect with Offred before his state-sanctioned monthly raping. He cant get it up. He runs away. He plays a mean game of Scrabble with the prisoner. And yet, hes not blameless, is he' When his wife offers strategy on dealing with an Aunt who defected to Canada, he abruptly shuts her down, saying essentially, Sweetie, us men have it under control.The heart of Gileads doctrine and its structure is female oppression. Even their common greeting, Blessed be the fruit, alludes to female reproduction. Gilead reveres reproduction while criminalizing female sexuality, which begs the question, whats so dangerous about sex and women'Is the fear that women, with their beguiling ways, lead good men like the Commander astray' Offred does use her sexuality to manipulate her way out of Serena Joys punishment. Is it Eve leading Adam down the garden path all over again'Only women can bring life into the world. In Gilead, babies are big business, and the womb, along with everything else connected to it, belongs to the government. By subverting women, men gain control over the future. Men are able to steal the reproductive process to further their own ends. Therefore, repression of female sexuality isnt only about fear, its about power.See you next week for Episode 5. Until then, Ill meet you on Twitter. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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