8 life lessons to learn from Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale is set in a dystopian future, where women are forced to live in dictatorship. The series is based on Margaret Atwood’s book by the same name and revolves around June (Elisabeth Moss) and her encounters with ritualized rape, power, control, sexual politics, and patriarchy.

The series may be disturbing to some, but it is also one that empowers many through the resistance and rebellion showcased by strong women of the show. Here are eight lessons we can learn from these women, who fought the good fight against forces that seemed to be much stronger than them.

1. Be aware of those around you

In the series, we witness how the handmaids are meant to follow a strict schedule even when it comes to something as routine as going to the grocery store. The mundane lifestyle they are expected to follow could make them oblivious to the happenings around them. However, if we take June into consideration, she is always aware of the people around her and their actions. She may be quiet, but she is always on the lookout, taking in how things work and how guards operate in Gilead. This helps her build bonds and friendships with other handmaids, which is something the elders are against. But this is what empowers her to make a difference in the long run.

2. In an unjust environment, everyone loses

Although it is easy to hate Serena as a character, one must also see the pain and her lack of agency and freedom at home or in the outside world. She appears to be in control but lacks the power she deserves. June faces immense loss and copes with grief while trying to adjust to the new world she is now part of, and even though her place in society is nowhere near Serena, they both suffer the repercussions of an unjust system. This teaches us that injustice exists on both ends of the spectrum in some form or the other.

3. Power doesn’t reside only at the top

The handmaids are often blackmailed or coerced into uncomfortable situations. They are often punished in an inhumane and unimaginable way for being disobedient. However, as the series progresses, they realize that they have more power than they think. Although made to believe that they are in control of those at the top, they take the reins into their own hands whenever possible and empower themselves.

4. Support matters

If you remember the episode where the handmaids were forced to stone one of their own to death, you know exactly what I’m talking about. June decides to speak up against the injustice and refuses to participate in the stoning. Her actions inspire the other handmaids to take a stand for themselves too, and they join her in walking away from the site. The support gathered by June from the others is impressive, and this event also acts as one of the factors that unites them further. It also helps the other handmaids trust and look up to June as their leader.

5. The power of fear

Throughout the series, we witness how Gilead controls the handmaids like puppets because they have successfully instilled fear into them. However, once the women put fear on the back burner, they realize they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. After this realization, the plot of the show begins to change, and so do the power dynamics between the handmaids and the Republic of Gilead.

6. The value of friendship

Watching the series makes us believe that nurturing friendships in such an environment is close to impossible. However, it is at a time like this when friendships matter most. In June’s words, “Alliances are something you can depend on.”

7. Be grateful for the little things

When found in dire circumstances, June often recalls the sound of birds chirping, flowers, and even eating eggs for breakfast. These are things we usually take for granted and overlook. However, the series teaches us that these little things must act as sources of joy in the most difficult times.

8. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum

If you’re a fan of The Handmaid’s Tale, I’m sure this famous quote from the show brought a smile to your face. It is a line that June finds carved into her wooden closet, which was perhaps a message from the handmaid that came before her. Apart from showing solidarity among the handmaids, this quote also motivates June to rebel against injustice and not be dragged down by external forces.