A Mixtape for Margaret Atwood
Back in February, I had the idea to initiate something. I knew it had to involve my ladies, whom were mostly scattered in pairs or solo, coming together for some regular group activity (e.g. ritual). It had to be akin to developing a local sisterhood community here in Pittsburgh.
A lot of my lady friends had been complaining that they never have ‘like minded women’ to discuss interesting topics with and that they frequently feel out of sync with other women. I had experienced these feelings myself. Maybe a sort of salon of post modernist feminism was needed so I thought: why not a feminist book club with revolving host spaces?!
The “book club” space (for it is more than that) was born in the spring. Right before the first meeting I had the inclination to focus on musical pairings with the books. Why not combine everyone’s first loves of literature and music? The goal being a curated mix based on group sourced inspiration, and putting my final touches on it. Here we have the first experiment with this idea and the intention behind its production.
Margaret Atwood’s classic novel, The Handmaid’s Tale is a story about Offred, a young women who is forced into reproductive slavery by a totalitarian religious theocracy. It was published in 1985, amidst the birth of the New Right, and can be a difficult tale to read at times. Some may be tempted to write it off as “depressing,” but the term bleak is more apt. As Neil Gaiman once said about his writing in fantasy, if there is hope, then it’s not too dark and this book certainly falls into that category. Although the story deals with themes of female enslavement and commodification of women’s bodies, there is always an element of hope.
When I was putting together a mixtape based on The Handmaid’s Tale, I was struggling to find songs that captured the unreliable narration and the broad and dark themes of the book. Sometimes I chose songs that were perfectly situated in 1985, other times I chose songs that were literal interpretations, and sometimes it was a lyric or two that caught my eye. Below is the tale of how we crafted The Handmaid’s Tale mixtape tracks and their significance to the story ( — SUPER spoilers below, beware)!
The song is at first glance a literal interpretation. The main character in The Handmaid’s Tale, Offred, references the handmaid who lived in her room before her many times. She wonders about this previous occupant’s story and eventually pieces together what happened to her. We find out that the previous handmaid committed suicide by hanging herself in the room, hence “the rope.” But it is also deeper than that as the song features a children's choir. Children are an important theme in The Handmaid’s Tale: in this futuristic world that has been ecologically poisoned, children are scarce and the need to drive up reproduction rates becomes a catalyst for the totalitarian regime. The song sings about a “generic world that’s clean” and one can’t help but think of The Handmaid’s Tale as the children sing these verses.
2. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush
Originally titled “A Deal With God,” the single’s title didn’t go over well with record execs and Kate Bush had to change the name when it erupted in 1985. Not only is the year of the song perfect for when The Handmaid’s Tale takes place, but so is the subject matter. The song is about making a specific kind of deal, one in which a couple could change genders for a time. Kate Bush sings about how changing genders might allow women and men to understand each other more deeply. In The Handmaid’s Tale, gender roles are strictly defined, so much so that women’s roles are named in a caste system: Wives, Econowives, Handmaids, and Marthas. This strict social conditioning isn’t limited to women as the men’s roles are equally strict in their definition. Many times the characters find difficultly understanding each other’s perspectives and intentions. They are unable to break out of their strict roles and develop any kind of relational understanding. The main relationship between Offred and her male Commander explores this fundamental misunderstanding, which the new society in the Gilled Era is based upon. Who knows if the sort of deal Kate Bush is describing could have prevented Gillead from erupting in the first place.
There is no love story in The Handmaid’s Tale. The closest we get to this are Offred’s memories of her previous love and life before she was enslaved to become a Handmaid. This song is about a lost lover, whom the protagonist will choose to remember. Many times Offred tells us about the love lost from her husband, Luke, who was separated from her when the regime discovered them attempting to escape to Canada. Offered relives the most mundane memories of their life together, hoping he is still alive somewhere and they will eventually be reunited.
4. For My Lover by Tracy Chapman
Keeping with the lover theme, this is another song for both Luke, Offred’s former lover, and Nick, a companion Offred finds in the new era. Both Luke and Nick’s characters are ones we know little abou as we only hear the story through Offred’s (at times) unreliable memories and narration. Offered falls for Nick in the new era, or perhaps the memory of Luke she is keeping alive in Nick, even though it is against the regime’s strict order. She risks being taken away and ultimately her life, just to have a moments of peace like the old days. Tracy Chapman’s self-titled album was iconic in the 80s and this song talks describes the high price you pay for love.
5. Don’t Forget by Martha Wainwright
Offered tries desperately to keep the memories of Luke and her nameless daughter alive, who were taken from her when the regime interrupted their escape to Canada. This song could be considered an ode to the eternal love she feels for both of them. It also touches upon the complacency of this desire — knowing she will always love them, but not trying very hard to reconnect with them or find their whereabouts except where opportunities are easily presented to her.
6. Original Sinsuality by Tori Amos
Tori Amos has a lot of songs about religion and a cover of “Amazing Grace,” which is specifically called out in The Handmaid’s Tale. This song was chosen instead because it is layered with many of the themes in The Handmaid’s Tale. The song centers around the story of creation and the Demiurge, a Gnostic Christian myth that questions the traditional Christian explanation of one true creator. The myth also explores the theme of knowledge, if it is good or evil, and whether there is one creator who knows all or an accidental creator that is ignorant of others who came before him. In the world of The Handmaid’s Tale, men and women are strictly controlled by a theocracy that supposedly knows what is best for them. Women are not allowed to read or be educated, only men of high status are given access to the knowledge of the past. The society worships a monotheistic god, which is really an invention by the patriarchal regime.
7. The Trick is To Keep Breathing by Garbage
This song touches upon the themes of distrust, sadness, and resignation created in a totalitarian society where everyone is considered a suspect. It also touches upon the complacency that Offred and many others exhibit in Gillead, as she keeps herself going on and living in her limited existence, without fully being alive or attempting to disrupt the status quo.
8. If Everybody Looked the Same by Groove Armada
In The Handmaid’s Tale all roles have a required uniform: Handmaid’s wear red dresses with white hats that cover most of their faces, Commanders wear black to signify their status of superiority, and Guardians of the Faith militant who preserve Gillead wear green. The goal is for uniformity in the extreme, to eliminate self expression and diversity, so that people are literally the same. Ethnic cleansing is also alluded to and although foreigners are allowed to visit, people who are not white are not allowed to join the society of Gillead.
This song again touches on the themes of complacency, of living but not really living, and of the pain and distress this causes a person. Like Offred accounts of her days, Bjork describes the feeling well: I play dead / it stops the hurting / I play dead / and hurting stops. Many times Offred tells herself she will stop feeling what she used to feel for the lost loved ones, her previous life, her mother, and her loss of freedom and empowerment. She tells herself she will stop grieving for this loss, although “playing dead” doesn’t always seem to work for her.
10. Now’s the Only Time I know by Fever Ray
Another theme that runs through The Handmaid’s Tale is memory and the shock of the differences between pre-Gillead and Gillead era life. It seems that all of the characters were abruptly taken from their homes, and arrived on another planet. Offred is often an unreliable narrator as she tries to keep alive memories of what life was like in pre-Gillead era, attempting to paste together truth from construction and the harsh reality of the here and now. Although for survival purposes, she tries to only remember the present, she cannot help but be tempted by the past. She reflects that the next generation of Handmaids will only remember the Gillead of today, and have no recollection of what normality used to be.
11. Everybody’s Gone by The Clientele
In the new totalitarian society, families are torn apart and individuals are caste into specific roles. We glimpse into what it is like to suddenly be torn from family and friends, and have no idea where they have gone to or if they are still alive. Offred tries to keep people alive in her memories, but is always skeptical of their destinies. Are they still alive? Have they made it out of Gillead and into the freedom of Canada? Have they been declared an Unwoman and sent to the colonies to die among toxic waste clean-ups? Essentially everyone is more or less erased from existence.
12. Your Ex-Lover is Dead by Stars
In the story The Handmaid’s Tale, we hear the story from the point of view of Offred. Her narration is often unreliable as she struggles to piece together what actually happened and how it happened. A continuation on the above theme of the “lost people,” we learn in the historical notes at the end of the book that it is highly likely that Luke, Offred’s ex-lover and husband, did not survive after their attempted escape. It is never quite confirmed and the ambiguity as well as unreliability of the narration makes for a variety of endless interpretations and clue-searching.
13. My Body is A Cage by Arcade Fire
Perhaps the most important theme in The Handmaid’s Tale is the use of women’s bodies as political instruments and the very literal commodification of women’s bodies. Women cannot read, hold jobs, handle money, or have any individual liberties. They are only tools to be used for reproductive purposes and through the extreme societal rituals we see how they are used. Women are also very literally imprisoned whether they are Handmaids to be used for reproduction or Marthas to be used for housework. It is their reproductive status that defines their place in society and keeps them there forever. Some women were considered “lucky” and escaped to underground nightclubs where the Commanders in control of the state have the luxuries of exploring their carnal fantasies without violating the official doctrines. These women are slaves to the patriarchal subculture in Gillead forever.
14. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next by Manic Street Preachers
The causes of complacency and acceptance of the substandard life are a major theme in The Handmaid’s Tale. Offred frequently wonders about her daughter who was taken from her, where she might be, and if she is happy in her new life. She reflects that the new generation will have no memory of the pre-Gillead world and that these younger women will grow up perfectly groomed for their roles, making it even more difficult to catalyze change. Offred wonders if her daughter will be chosen to be a Handmaid like her, since Offred herself is fertile, and therefore retains a high probability of providing children in a world of declining birth rates.
15. Bodysnatchers by Radiohead
Women in the pre-era Gillead were slowing forced into slavery. One day they went to work and were informed they were all let go from their jobs. One day they went to the store and were informed they could no longer access their money or use their bank cards. One day they were all being round up and if they were useful and willing, brought into the new state of Gillead. If they were feminists, infertile, attempted to escape, homosexual, or defied the regime in any way, they were declared Unwoman and sent to the Colonies to clean up toxic waste. The were reduced to a body, a piece of equipment, to be gathered and used by the new regime and to ensure the success of it.
In conclusion: Margaret Atwood’s book The Handmaid’s Tale cemented her in the feminist psyche for decades to come with important discussion on the commodification of women’s bodies and their reproductive rights. The book also explored the intersection of this theme with many other important ideas on political systems, ethnic cleansing, and ecological safety.
The personal impressions from this book inspired me to create an accompanying mixtape, a sort of musical declaration for my friends who love literature and a tribute to Margaret Atwood’s compelling authorship. This is the “book club” space, which combines the themes, motifs, feelings, and moods of literature with musical pairings. More pairings to come. Keep imagining out there.
