Sammy's Dot

Let me start by saying that this story is really a tempest in a teapot. Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale is a brutal depiction of an ugly future and this is surely not the first complaint about it; I do not think that the Toronto District School Board will be banning it in response to this one. In fact, every board in the country has probably had more than a few since the book was first taught in high school English classes. However, this particular parent’s complaint happens to be in the news at the moment; I happen to have strong opinions on limiting exposure to good books; and I don’t want to get sucked into the stupidity that infects the Toronto Star commenting system.

So: the gist of Mr. Edwards’ complaint appears to be that he finds the novel obscene, and is offended by what he perceives as condemnation of his religion. Both of these complaints are poor arguments for preventing children from reading the book.

Mr. Edwards seems to think that by telling his sons that there are words they should not say, they will choose not to say them; by telling them that there are thoughts that are wrong, they will not think them; by telling them that some actions are evil, they will not commit them. To a point, this might be true – though he might be shocked by the language he hears in the hallway of any high school in Toronto – but how deep does the obedience go? How will his sons respond if they are challenged to break the rules, and the only support for the rules is his word?

By challenging readers with a world in which some of the rules that currently exist in our society have become exaggerated and twisted and backed by overwhelming force, Atwood demands that those rules be questioned. The book also provides a depth of understanding for the reasons behind other, perhaps competing, sets of rules. Someone who reads The Handmaid’s Tale might conclude that it is wrong to accept a religious justification for the subjugation and abuse of women, and they might also conclude, having experienced Offred’s life as a Handmaid, that the laws that demand equality are necessary to prevent injustice. Perhaps, if they also read the afterward, they might see that the small injustices of sexism do their own damage. Perhaps, having read the book and empathized with the results of sexism, they might understand why some words are harmful and should not be used, why some thoughts are unjust and should be challenged, why some actions are evil. Perhaps, having read a book that challenges their own concept of morality, they will build a stronger base for moral action in the future.

I have never understood why some people seem to think that by refusing to challenge their beliefs, they will be stronger, and I have never understood why preventing children and young adults from thinking about their beliefs will make the world a better place. No one would throw a child into a totalitarian world and leave him to fend for himself to learn what will happen. Fiction allows us to explore the possible consequences of our actions, individually and as a society, without actual harm, and with that exploration we have the opportunity to apply what we’ve learned to our lives.