The Handmaid’s Tale Chapter 43: What Did Aunt Lydia Leave Out? | Banned Books Comedy
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RSS Feed In Chapter 43, the day on the lawn at the old university is not over yet. Dan and Jennifer try to work out what Gilead is asking of these women now, and why the chapter ends the way it does. It is a hard chapter, and they say so.
This episode includes AI-voiced content, including our trusty fact-checking robot, Robot.
Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books chapter by chapter. We don’t read ahead, so you’re discovering the story with us.
Things To Listen For:
- Aunt Lydia explains the rules for what comes next. Jennifer finds a loophole, and Dan explains why Gilead would never want her.
- Robot is asked about a Bible verse that Aunt Lydia quotes. The answer is short, and it is not comfortable.
- Jennifer gets to the last line of the chapter, stops, and asks the one question she did not expect to ask.
- Beowulf brings good news about a game company with a famously rude name. Dan has a zombie survival plan that involves his dog Beatrix, and Beowulf has notes.
Why was The Handmaid’s Tale banned?
This chapter has a killing, and the book is regularly challenged for violence and sexual content. But what really bothers book banners is that Atwood will not look away. She lets her narrator tell the whole truth about her day, including the part nobody wants to admit.
If this is your first episode, you’re fine starting here. Our fact-checking Robot catches you up fast, then we read the next chapter (spoilers).
Banworthy to Bingeworthy
If you like what we do here, calling out the people who want to control what you read, these two shows belong in your feed.
- The Oath and the Office: Constitutional law professor Corey Brettschneider and comedian John Fugelsang talk about the Constitution, free speech, freedom of the press, and what happens when a president’s power runs up against your own rights. They’ve had Senator Sheldon Whitehouse on to talk about attacks on judges and the rule of law. It’s not light stuff, but it has humor in it too. You can find it wherever you listen or on YouTube. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oath-and-the-office/id1795734509
- Good News for Lefties: Beowulf Rochlen’s show about good news for progressives. He is also our news correspondent on Banned Camp, and this week he brings a story about a game company with a famously rude name and what it keeps sending to libraries.
Shout-Out: Paragraphs and Pages
Paragraphs and Pages in Liberty Lake, Washington, is an awesome bookstore. Owner Nathan wrote in to say a customer walked in and told him they had heard about the shop on Banned Camp. Check them out at https://paragraphsandpages.com .
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Disclaimer
Banned Camp features readings and discussions of banned books for the purpose of criticism, commentary, education, and entertainment, in accordance with fair use guidelines.
The material used from the book The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is shared under these principles, with the intent of provoking thought and discussion about literature, censorship, and societal issues. The original work remains fully owned by its copyright holders, and we strongly encourage listeners to purchase a copy here to experience the book in its entirety.
https://bookshop.org/a/20953/9780385490818
This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Margaret Atwood, her estate, or the publishers of The Handmaid’s Tale. Any monetization of the podcast is separate from the copyrighted material discussed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was The Handmaid’s Tale banned?
The Handmaid’s Tale has been challenged or banned in American schools and libraries every single year since its publication in 1985. It was the most challenged book in the United States in 2023. It has been targeted for profanity, sexually explicit content, and content deemed “offensive to Christians.” But the deeper reason is that Margaret Atwood showed what happens when a government uses religion, tradition, and “protecting families” as justification for stripping women of their rights, their names, and their autonomy. That’s the part that actually scares book banners, because it looks a lot like Tuesday.
Is there a podcast that discusses The Handmaid’s Tale chapter by chapter?
Yes. Banned Camp breaks down a different banned book every season, one chapter at a time, through comedy, commentary, and discussion. Neither host has read ahead, so you’re discovering the story together in real time. Season 11 covers The Handmaid’s Tale. Every episode mixes a short reading with reactions, a fact-checking Robot, and a look at why the book gets banned. We always encourage listeners to read along with their own copy.
Do I need to start Banned Camp from the beginning?
No. Every episode opens with Robot’s recap of the previous chapter, so you can jump in anywhere. Most listeners tell us they started mid-season and went back to the beginning after they were hooked.
What is a Particicution in The Handmaid’s Tale?
Particicution is a word Margaret Atwood made up, a blend of participation and execution. In Chapter 43, Aunt Lydia lets the handmaids do whatever they want to a condemned man until she blows her whistle. Banned Camp’s Dan and Jennifer react as Jennifer reads, and talk about what Gilead gets out of it.
Why is Offred hungry after the Particicution in The Handmaid’s Tale?
After the Particicution in Chapter 43, Offred says her hands smell of warm tar, and that she is also hungry. She wonders if she has been emptied or if her body is making sure she stays alive. Banned Camp’s Dan, Jennifer and Robot talk about why Atwood lets her admit it.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 43, Offred, Aunt Lydia, Ofcharles, Ofglen, Janine, Luke, Nick, Beowulf Rochlen, Corey Brettschneider, John Fugelsang, ritual violence and complicity, mercy and cruelty, grief and hunger, public libraries, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast
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