The HandMaid’s Tale: Adaptation
Trigger Warning: Rape/victim blaming, hangings, abortion, women’s rights, unwanted sexual advances, censorship/war, sexism, and brainwashing.
This is a novel that I have been seeing for a while. I was so glad that I had the opportunity to read a graphic novel adaptation of this novel. However, for me the characters don’t mesh as well for me as there isn’t a lot of character development and I wish we got more coherency in the story as it keeps going back and forth from the present to the past.
One character that did take me by surprise is Moira. On the surface, we see her as the rebel who is fighting against the Gilead regime. Her character is both strong and tragic at the same time. The way she carries herself in the interactions she has with Offred is heartbreaking but relieving at the same time. Despite being relieved that in the story she survives, it’s also tragic to see the way her life is carried out after she was taken from the school. For me, it was a good usage of having the viewer interpret a character’s ending. We could either see her escape from the world of Gilead and start over in Canada, or died while trying to save the world from what it became. Personally, while I want to believe that she escaped and never looked back, the way the narrator is telling us the outcomes, the tone indicates that she died at some point. I loved this character and wish we got to see more of her.
The tone/worldbuilding is consistent and the imagery that the artists put in to try and do this adaptation justice is beautiful. The multiple usage of colors, cutting from the present world of Gilead where the palette is consisting of red and muted colors while the past shows us lighter, colorful palettes and how the world was before the mayhem and the choices of those heavily affect those around them. The style works and didn’t feel overwhelming to look at. One scene I loved was when they were looking at the news and how the war was starting to play a significant role in the outcome of the world. We see the colors start to fade and become muted, especially the line of “You wait. They’ve been building up to this.” (Atwood). It’s a clever usage of using the setting and elevating the world building/immersing the color palette into the story.
As well as the tone/world building, the themes are prevalent. Not only does the story tell a compelling story as a cautionary tale, it does so in respect. At the end of the day, free speech and women’s rights are something we shouldn’t take for granted. It’s easy to get caught up in the thinking that this will never happen to us, however over the course we’ve seen a lot happen (e.g. overturning of abortion and banning books). The story includes real-world problems that can be a possibility, so nothing should be taken fore granted. The adaptation discusses/shows us these tough topics in a dignified way. While there is shocking imagery, it doesn’t feel out of place, but confronts us on what is possible.
The only note was the coherency of the book. While I understand going back and forth about what the world was vs. what it became, it did feel out of place at times. One moment we were in the past, but the next we’re in the present without any context. I understand the mystery element to the story, I wish we got some conclusion to some of the events/developments of some characters (e.g. Luke and Offred, Nick’s backstory, etc.). I was invested to see what happens next, but the organization of the story could’ve been better in my opinion.
Some characters may never get a conclusion, but I was glad to see some mystery element being incorporated in graphic novels as I don’t often see that. Just wish the execution was better!