“No Guarantees That Things Aren’t Going to Go Tits Up,” Says Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale was first published in 1985 and has since become a modern classic for its depiction of a dystopian future where women are treat as second class citizens in a patriarchal society. A recent TV adaptation by Hulu has since propelled the novel to further fame, and the current political climate in the United States has made the book increasingly relevant.

Atwood recently sat down with Berkeley News to discuss her book, its themes, and the current state of the world. The interview began with Atwood explaining how the book was received differently when it was first published when compared with today’s reactions.

“I think in ‘85 and ‘86, there were still some people who thought, ‘This is improbable,'” said Atwood. “Or they thought, ‘Time only ever moves forward, things are just going to get better.’ That has never been true in history and there is no particular reason why it would be true now. And it’s also true that things can change a lot faster than you think. So, there was a disconnect between what was in the book and what people thought could actually happen.”

The interviewer asked: “So, in 1985 and ‘86, people were saying, “This couldn’t happen.” Now, are more people saying, “Oh, this could definitely happen?”

“Oh, yes, no question about,” replied Atwood. “Well, there are attempts being made to have it happen. You’re seeing a many-pronged attack on the free press — that’s one of the things totalitarianisms always go for, is they seize control of the communications system. So, the free press. Women’s control over their own bodies… when you see that happening. The other piece of that is do away with any regulations over environmental controls.”

Following Trump’s election, sales of The Handmaid’s Tale greatly increased and the book, along with its author, has become synonymous with resisting Trump. However, Atwood stated she doesn’t consider herself, or likes, being called a soothsayer. “Anybody who says they can predict the future is… not telling the truth,” she said. “It is quite unpredictable. People go, “Oh, Margaret, you’re such a prophet.” And I say, “Actually, no I’m not.” Because nobody can be that. There are too many variables.”

It’s worth noting that all the injustices visited upon the women throughout the book have, and in some cases continue, to happen to women around the world. Atwood explained she did this in order to show people she wasn’t making anything up. “It’s been really important to me because if I hadn’t done that back in ’84 or ’85, people would have said, ‘You have a really twisted, evil imagination to make all this up.’ So, I had to be able to say, ‘I did not make this up. People do this. People have done this.’ And particularly in circumstances where power is absolute, they do it more. Because there is no check.”

Atwood was born in 1938 and has seen plenty of history occur since then. She explained that her inspiration comes from her interest in world history and the many failed attempts leaders have made to create perfect societies. “I studied utopia/dystopia quite in depth a long time ago. People set out to set up these colonies. The Puritans themselves were a utopian experiment. They were going to set up God’s kingdom on Earth. Good luck with that.”

Atwood named societies that have aimed for perfection, including the likes of World War I, the Soviet Socialist Republics, Stalin’s purges, World War II and the Nazis, Ceausescu’s Romania, Pol Pot in Cambodia, and North Korea. “Having been born when I was, I lived through a bunch of this,” she said. “So, no guarantees. No guarantees that things aren’t going to go tits up, quite rapidly.”

Many people now look to Atwood as a key figure in preventing us from living in the kind of dystopian future presented in The Handmaid’s Tale. Fortunately, she does believe there’s hope. She finished by encouraging people to vote in the next election, remaining informed of the latest news from reliable outlets, and to start paying attention to the planet, particularity the ocean.

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