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If you’ve had the chance to watch Hulu’s phenomenal original series The Handmaid’s Tale and were able to power through the awkwardness and harsh sex scenes, you may have noticed some underlying themes. One of the main themes, this writer noticed, centers around pregnancy and a woman’s ability (or inability) to conceive a child. Based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name, the dark totalitarian drama paints the perfect picture of how overwhelming it can feel for a woman and the pressure that she herself and/or others may put on her to have children.
One of the characters who certainly expresses these feelings is Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski). Unable to have children of her own, she is forced to seek an alternative and quite uncomfortable option, which is to rely on her handmaid Offred (Elisabeth Moss) to become pregnant with her husband’s baby. She shows constant disdain towards Offred out of envy and displays her general unhappiness and disappointment towards her in every interaction the two have (except of course when there was the possibility that Offred was pregnant). These expressions can be compared to the feelings a woman goes through while deciding to seek her own (less drastic, more realistic) alternative methods like IVF, surrogacy, etc. to starting a family after many unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant naturally.
Another character who obviously displays feelings associated with the pressure of pregnancy is Offred herself. Forced to try and conceive for her “commander” and his wife, Offred struggles with the outside pressure from others and the new, scary society in which she lives. Now, with only the memory of her late husband and her daughter who was taken away from her, Offred is torn between her desire to escape totalitarian rule and her desire to avoid punishment and remain alive. When Offred fails to get pregnant the first time she is imprisoned in her room for two weeks by Mrs. Waterford who had high expectations. These feelings can be compared to how a young woman feels under the pressure of friends, family, and society to get pregnant, whether she actually wants to get pregnant or not.
Offglen (Alexis Bledel) was also under tremendous pressure, despite her sexual orientation. In the totalitarian society of Gilead, homosexuality is a big no no, primarily because a woman’s only role is to bear children. When the authorities discover Offglen’s secret, she is put on trial (if you can call it that) and punished by having her clitoris removed. Her lover is hung to death in front of her. While observing the character Offglen, it is easy to think of how a gay woman (who may or may not want to have children) must feel under the societal pressures for women to get pregnant, and the inability to be who she is in a society that is less than accepting.
The series, Season 1 of which debuted in April of this year, has already received critical acclaim. Its unique concept and entertaining plot make it a must-see and we look forward to any future extensions to the 10-episode first season. The fact that the hit new drama brings light to the burdensome yet typically unspoken feelings surrounding pregnancy makes it intriguing on its own. If you pay close attention, you may even notice some additional underlying themes that the author and show’s producers wanted you to absorb.
Michael is a music and television junkie keen on most things that are not a complete and total bore. You can follow him on Twitter — @Tweetskoor
