Good literature keeps you thinking about it.
There’s an obvious theme and message here that Atwood wants to get across regarding men and religion: be very, very afraid of either, and especially both. I don’t agree with her, but I must admit that even though I doubt Maine could ever turn into a Gilead, I would suspect that somewhere deep inside them, most men wouldn’t find the idea of subordinating women and to use them for sexual satisfaction with no strings attached (both the handmaids and prostitutes have that bound but elevated status of service) quite as offensive and disgusting as their more enlightened views would have us believe. However, since they gave us the vote and we took it so much further, they wouldn’t be able to pull this sh_ _ nowadays.
I also am wondering about the historical picture given by the professor at the seminar of the future, of Fred Waterford, their best guess as the Commander in Offred’s household. They credit him with the design and color of the nun-like clothing of the handmaids and the structure of the society. Yet he was pathetic, even in his state of power, when he seeks Offred’s company in a game of Scrabble, or a conversation. And more obvious, his ‘gift’ to Offred was the flimsy babydoll costume with the spangles. Of course, the primary pleasure gained would be his, seeing her in this outfit. And while he may have forbidden women from reading and been instrumental in barring them from it, he understands that women are not idiots, and like a generous papa, takes satisfaction in allowing Offred to read, and watches her in the act. What is the purpose of this contrast in the Commander?
Or is it the conflict of every man, maybe every human being.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology