“Proof they don’t read:” Margaret Atwood received online mansplaining about her own book
Several social media users think that they’re experts at comprehending Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. They’re so well-versed, in fact, that they think they’re better at comprehending the book than Atwood herself.
Handmaids are women from the fictional dystopic Gilead society whose purpose is to be an incubator for high-ranking men. Atwood shared a political sketch of Handmaids liberating themselves by choosing to vote. The booth in the sketch has an American flag. During the 2024 presidential campaign, reproductive rights have become hotly debated between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. While Trump threatens to remove access to abortion, Harris promises to secure abortion rights for women.
Many agreed with Atwood in her replies on X. One user likened the political sketch to reality, should Trump win a second term as president of the United States. Interestingly, there were also some users who felt the need to scold Atwood about her own book. A user claimed that “the author of the book used Islam, not Christianity,” to illustrate Islamic law and culture.
That critic has confidence most of us could only dream about. Imagine thinking you can outdo the author’s interpretation of her own work. Needless to say, social media users had a heyday with the tweet. On X, the user took a screenshot of the absurd tweet and posted the conversation online again. The original poster may have covered their tracks, but they’ll forever be immortalized as “the guy who just mansplained The Handmaid’s Tale to the author of The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Interpretation gone too far
Understandably, many were appalled at the interaction. One wrote, “proof they don’t read” after reading the exchange. It seems that they’ve not read even the cover of the book, which clearly has Atwood’s name written front and center.
Another reply to Atwood’s initial tweet reads, “How many so far have mansplained to you so far off this tweet?” Unfortunately, there are others who trolled Atwood’s initial political sketch by putting MAGA hats on the women. Others think that this is mainly about women in Iran. While Iranian women are protesting against repressive laws and the morality police, Atwood was clearly referring to the upcoming US elections. It’s an election that will either safeguard or doom women’s reproductive rights.
Women can fight for their rights wherever they are in the world. This doesn’t have to be about one issue or a particular country, but Atwood sees the parallels between her book and reality. Arrogance clearly knows no bounds if people think they know the book better than the author does.
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