The Handmaid's Tale: Margaret Atwood's Masterpiece Is Coming To Hulu

With Republican politicians working to strip Planned Parenthood's funding, many feminist groups have begun to talk about books that reveal the dystopian realities of what happens when women are denied birth control and safe abortion access.

The most common analogy being mentioned online is that the new laws are slowly making a scenario like The Handmaid's Tale inch closer and closer to the reality that poorer women face.

The science-fiction novel takes place in a world where America has been taken over by a radical theocracy that has stripped women of rights and uses both God and national security as a justification for torture.

One woman by the name of Offred, belongs to a class of women who are used solely for reproductive purposes. The Handmaid's Tale follows her around as she desperately tries to escape the oppressive regime that has taken over the country once known as "Land of the Free."

When it was released in 1985, it seemed silly to think that America would ever have something like that happen. However, literary critics are showing that there are some very unsettling similarities between Atwood's book and the current political climate.

Trump's Presidency Bolstered The Book's Popularity...

As pro-life pressures continued to built, feminists began to notice an increasingly similar rhetoric used by Republicans in Atwood's book. By the time that Trump was elected, Atwood's book topped bestseller lists because of its eerie similarities to what seems to be unfolding in America.

Hulu has taken notice, and has booked a deal to release a TV series based on her book. The series is slated to premiere on April 26 - and it seems like there has never been a better time to broach the subject of what life could turn into if women's rights are taken away.

"Speculative Fiction?"

Atwood herself bills The Handmaid's Tale as speculative fiction - but make no mistake about it, the inspiration was based on reality. Elements of the dystopia were taken from concern about environmental pollution, Puritanical values, and the breakout literary hit 1984.

Even though she was the one to speculate about it, Atwood herself was quick to note that she didn't think she'd see the day where her book would become so relevant in modern society.

In an interview with Channel News Asia, she said, "It seemed preposterous even to me. But I don't mean to say it was preposterous. I didn't think it was going to happen in that moment. When politically inclined people say they want to do such and such, I always believe them, so why be surprised? Then the 2016 U.S. election happened and all this became much more immediate."

Atwood also was quick to note that people may have forgotten that civil rights have to be fought for - and that sitting by will mean that your rights may get taken away by people who don't have your best interest in mind.

In recent weeks, Margaret Atwood has definitely been fielding questions about the new Hulu series and what she thinks will happen in the future. That being said, she also had plenty to say about religion, politics, and her concern for the women of today when she sat down with OMNI, too.

A little-known fact about Margaret Atwood is that she has a background in theater - and that she had decided to use her acting talents in a cameo in her own Hulu series. Can you spot her? The only way to find out for sure is to check out her series when it comes out!