The first time I read The Handmaid’s Tale was in my freshman year of college, roughly three years ago. The political climate was different, and so was I. The novel struck a chord with me then, and still does, perhaps even more so now — given everything going on around us at present. Perhaps one of the most disturbing aspects, for me, of the rise and maintenance of Gilead is the involvement of women working to oppress the rights of other women. We obviously see Serena Joy and other wives reinforcing the patriarchal and fundamentalist Christian values of Gilead, and we also see the Aunts playing key roles. These characters struck me, but one character that I had not remembered from my first reading was Offred’s mother. That she doesn’t seem to oppose, and may even support, the magazine burnings and other actions against basic American freedoms surprised me. Yet Offred goes to college, so her mother can’t have been that entrenched in the values of the future leaders of Gilead, right? I’m still trying to parse it all out, but I can’t help but think about the unspoken things we are taught as women in America (typically). Because there are some unspoken rules amongst women, as I was taught. Stick your keys between your fingers on the way to your car at night. If you hear someone walking behind you, prepare yourself for an attack. Get your phone ready to dial 911. If you see a fellow woman being harassed or followed, come to her aid as best you can — befriend her, check up on her, make sure she’s okay. There’s a certain sisterhood that is fostered from the vulnerability and danger of being a woman. Something about that sacred bond being broken so brutally is really disturbing to me (among so many other things in this book).