How does fiction challenge the way things are?

What points are made about the real world in Handmaid's Tale? 4 minute discussion

Extremism Religious Feminist

Serena Joy represents the extremism and hypocrisy and religion in the novel. She interprets the bible in a way that supports both her and the Gilead view of women and sexuality. "Her speeches were about the sanctity of the home, about how women should stay home. Serena Joy didn't do this herself, she made speeches instead, but she presented this failure of hers as a sacrifice she was making for the good of all" This quote of course shows the hypocrisy of Serena, and by extent religion, as she does not even follow what she preaches

Offred's mother is a symbol for feminist extremism, she openly hates men, and sees her feminist activism as more important than her daughter. "Anyway what do I need it for, I don't want a man around, what use are they except for ten seconds' worth of half babies. A man is just a woman's strategy for making other women. Not that your father wasn't a nice guy and all, but he wasn't up to fatherhood. Not that I expected it of him. Just do the job, then you can bugger off, I said, I make a decent salary, I can afford daycare. "

Despite being written in 1985, Atwood's negative look on extremism is still relevant today, perhaps even more so

Class divide discuss ways in which class divide is shown in Handmaid's Tale

In Gilead there is a very clear hierarchy amongst the citizens In Gilead there is a very clear hierarchy amongst the citizens. People are put into castes which they must remain in for their life, symbolised by the uniforms which people are forced to wear. "The skirt is ankle-length, full, gathered to a flat yoke that extends over the breasts, the sleeves are full. The white wings too are prescribed issue; they are to keep us from seeing, but also from being seen. I never looked good in red, it's not my color."

The commanders are still reduced to a group with no individuality, however they clearly represent an upper class with some power and control in Gilead. The commanders wear black suits, with the black colour representing  the power of authority. 

and of course, people in black suits Though, not quite as extreme as in Gilead, the real world definitely has a class system, with the general masses being ruled over by the upper class  and of course, people in black suits

Authoritarian Government  discuss the ways that Gilead's government enforces rule over its citizens

Reading is forbidden in Gilead, this prevents the general public from challenging the government's cherrypicked use of bible verses. Gilead also does so to keep the population uneducated, as the more naive the people are, the more easy they are to control. 

The Eyes The Eyes, acting as snitches for the Gilead government are the main symbol for the spying that is done on the citizens. The system resembles that of the Cheka, the secret police of Soviet Russia, where members of the public were chosen to spy on their neighbours, in an attempt to stifle rebellion. "The Eyes of God run over all the earth.Because they were ready for us, and waiting. The moment of betrayal is the worst, the moment when you know beyond any doubt that you've been betrayed: that some other human being has wished you that much evil."