The Handmaid's Tale 12

"Her fault, her fault, her fault, we chant in unison. Who led them on? Aunt Helena beams, pleased with us. She did. She did. She did. Why did God allow such a terrible thing to happen? Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson." (72)

This scene in the book was an interestingly relevant one, as victim blaming in rape cases are at an incredibly controversial point right now. People have started putting on things called "Slut Walks", where women and men parade down streets, mainly dressed in very skimpy clothing, protesting the point that just because a woman is dressed a certain way doesn't mean that she deserved to be raped. It began when a police officer was lecturing students on safety, and told them that the way to prevent being raped was to "avoid dressing like sluts" (Stampler, "Slutwalks Sweep the Nation"). However, in this alternate reality that Atwood creates, women have no rights and are essentially objects, and anything bad that happens to them is entirely their own fault. Atwood uses this extreme to emphasize the unfairness of how women are treating other women. Since Janine was raped, she most likely deserved it.

Works Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victim_blaming
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/20/slutwalk-united-states-city_n_851725.html

Image:
http://jmsupercuteinkorea.blogspot.com/2011/07/slut-walk-protest-held-in-seoul.html