AHHHHH THIS IS SO TERRIFYING AND SO BRILLIANT AND SO SCARY AND SO GOOD!!! I finally got around to reading this modern-day classic after I heard lots of buzz in the world of bookish news in the Book Riot main podcast. I was surprised by how easy it was to read; the language is not difficult, and the syntax flows nicely. Sometimes I find that really amazing books are so heavy and rich in their language that it takes some time to work through it, but this one had a nice rhythm to it. That said, Margaret Atwood is a GENIUS with words and probably one of the smartest people ever. 
 There is so much symbolism in this book, so many motifs, and of course the content is shocking and compelling. The 2017 edition of this book opens with an introduction by Atwood, which was also published in the New York Times this year. I was struck by the way she said all the elements of Gilead were based on real past events. Building walls, public hangings, mandatory clothing which limits your vision, forbidding literacy, the Underground Femaleroad, the Colonies which are basically a combination of slavery and concentration camps... it's true that fact can be stranger than fiction. 
 I was hooked from the start but read it slowly (by my standard) because I felt the book deserved my undivided attention. I wish I had read this book with a book club because I am absolutely bursting with the need to discuss symbolism and analyze literary devices and characters and I feel like I am moments away from writing an essay on this book just so I can examine it all! I don't have time to write an essay but I want to write down my thoughts so that I can share them with whoever in my proximity reads this book next! 
 (view spoiler)[ Motifs: 
 -chalice 
 -red (dresses, blood, flowers, like the "lips" on the white bag of the hanged body, the amount of red in the training center) 
 -the chandelier in the ceiling of the room where Offred sleeps 
 -flowers, both dried and in gardens 
 -gardening 
 Symbols: 
 -the presence of literacy, reading, writing. Who was allowed, when it was allowed, what it meant in relationships like Offred and the commander when it was introduced 
 -the weird physical positions of all the people of different classes. I know this was supposed to be symbolic within the story too, but I still think the physical contact between characters was deliberate and meaningful 
 -another obvious one, but the eye 
 -The Soul Scrolls! so commercial, so robotically spiritual, such an example of religion being used in an oppressive way and also to make money. interesting that no one was there to listen to them... what is Atwood saying about God? or anyone listening to our prayers? and also that it was the same prayers over and over again... history repeating itself, humans suffering from the same woes.. 
 Other literary stuff of note: 
 -the absolute shift in tone before Offred told the reader/listener about her relationship with the chauffer 
 -the Commander was initially described to look like several different types of men, which made it seem like he represents every man, men collectively 
 -although Offred loved Luke, it was disturbing how little he cared when her bank account was frozen , 
 and also how little she reacted to that 
 -Moira was the coolest and most inspiring character 
 -the Aunts are among the scariest type of authority figures 
 -I was rather disturbed by the epilogue Historical Note where the audience and speaker poked fun in such a lighthearted way at this part of history. This is how we view history now, this is how past horrors are reduced to theoretical hypothetical situations that end up being repeated. I'm so curious to know what this future looked like! What changed? What remained? (hide spoiler)]