Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, a beloved dystopian novel was adapted to the screen in the 2017 Hulu series by the same name. While both pieces share many key elements, the two also possess major differences in plot, character design and theme.
A major difference between the book and the TV series is how the sequence at which events happen. Atwood implies that many of the events of the book are misinterpreted by Offred during her narration. There is also an epilogue at the end of the book, where an unknown speaker explains that the content of the book is a transcript of multiple tape recordings found after the events of the book, spliced together by historians. This implies that the events of the book may or may not be in chronological order. These details were not translated to the TV series.
The book does a much better job at depicting a variety of characters who are more morally ambiguous, emphasizing the constant danger Offred is in, as well as her isolation. For example, Rita, the cook that lives with Offred, is evasive in the TV show, only showing concern for and helping Offred at the end of season one. In the book Rita is more conservative in her values and looks down on Offred.
There are also differences within Offred. In the show Offred is defiant to remind herself and others of her humanity. In the book, however, Offred is a textbook bystander. The show misses one of Atwood’s major points: society’s willful ignorance is what allowed the dystopia to develop. Offred herself explains that she never wanted to go to protests; she was aware that her rights were being taken away but she never expressed her opinions. Even during the events of the book, Offred has self preservation but no willpower to change her situation. While the show tries to touch on her choices periodically, these traits are way more prevalent in the book, particularly because the book is contained in the inner workings of her headspace, while the show lacks the same laser focus.
The TV show has six seasons, but the entirety of the book takes place during season one, with both leaving off at a cliffhanger. The TV show takes the liberty to invent the plotline going forward, though that’s mostly just “television for television’s sake.” Overall, I personally liked the book better. While there were some additions made in the TV show that I believe added to the narrative, I thought the book was more fleshed out and hit harder in a shorter amount of time. It’s also worth noting that many differences between two could be due to how well different decisions would have translated to screen. However, if I had to pick one or the other, I would recommend reading the book over watching the show.
Read a review on the original book here.
