U2 - "Acrobat" and connection to "Handmaid's Tale"

The lyrics to U2's song Acrobat hold surprising similarity to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. A strong theme of the book is symbolized by the latin phrase Offred continuously quotes, a phrase that means "Don't let the bastards grind you down." The song by U2 also carries this theme, even quoting the phrase in the song. Acrobat is all about trying to get out of something but not really being aware as to how. Offred experiences the same issues in The Handmaid's Tale when she is forced to leave her husband and child and brought into a society where women have little freedoms. Offred, like the narrator of this song, was not aware of a way to escape from everything that was bringing her down.