Warning: Morbid Post

”Where ignorance is bliss, ‘Tis folly to be wise.”

~ Thomas Gray

In the three books we’ve read so far, suicide as a form of escape has been a common theme. Its purpose has differed for each of the books. Depending on whether or not one views Estraven’s choices before his death as suicide in Left Hand of Darkness, his death could be interpreted as a sacrifice so Genry Ai can fulfill his mission. In Kindred, Dana’s near-suicidal attempts were a way for her to escape the antebellum south, and not necessarily in dangerous situations (if she were truly in danger, she would have gone back to the future via some magical, unexplained phenomenon). In The Handmaid’s Tale, the Handmaids of the first generation often committed suicide and were frequently reminded that they paved the way for the next generation of Handmaids who won’t suffer as much (because they wouldn’t know anything different).

“…– still they’ll remember. And the ones after them will, for three or four or five years; but after that they won’t. They’ll always have been in white, in groups of girls; they’ll always have been silent.” (Atwood 277)

 

In every case where suicide has turned up thus far in our perusal of science fiction, suicide has been a viable option for people who know that better conditions could exist. For the Karhidians, suicide was severely looked down upon and not common because they were used to their way of life and did not know of better living conditions. Alice was the only one who successfully committed suicide and she lived a free life with someone she loved before landing in the situation that led to suicide. The first generation of Handmaids knew of a life where they were not forced to allow rape, give up their children, and restrict all daily activities, so when they were subject these conditions, they saw death as something better.

I think that Thomas Gray was onto something with believing that ignorance is bliss. In the cases we’ve seen, it would appear that those who don’t understand the situation fully seem to be happier in their world (like the slave children pretending to sell slaves). However, this is a very individualistic way of looking at things. If everyone who knew or dreamed of better conditions committed suicide, then they would all be gone and the ones who didn’t know any better would be left to endure conditions that they don’t have to. So what is the message here? Society can artificially select for the “most fit,” who are also the ones that don’t ask questions?  I don’t know the answer to this question, but I do think it’s ironic that the Gileadian society was set up to repopulate but ended up killing the people they “treasured” most.