The Holocaust and the Henmaid's Tale (A Case for Comparing Atrocities)

In a thoughtful and thought-provoking contribution to the study of animals and the Holocaust, Karen Davis makes the case that significant parallels can—and must—be drawn between the Holocaust and the institutionalized abuse of billions of animals in factory farms. Carefully setting forth the conditions that must be met when one instance of oppression is used metaphorically to illuminate another, Davis demonstrates the value of such comparisons in exploring the invisibility of the oppressed, historical and hidden suffering, the idea that some groups were “made” to serve others through suffering and sacrificial death, and other concepts that reveal powerful connections between animal and human experience—as well as human traditions and tendencies of which we all should be aware.