The Handmaids Tale

‘Blessed…’ ‘…May the…’

‘Blessed be the fruit’, ‘May the lord open’

‘Blessed be the fruit’, ‘May the lord open’

These phrases are part of the prescribed language of Gilead, reinforcing the regime's religious ideologies. The repetition of such phrases helps instill obedience and uniformity, leaving little room for individual thought or expression. By making these greetings mandatory, Gilead ensures that its theological underpinnings are present in everyday communication, a constant reminder of the society's control over even the most mundane aspects of life.

‘…a palimsest…’

‘...a palimpsest of unheard sound’

‘...a palimpsest of unheard sound’

A palimpsest is a manuscript that has been written on, erased, and written over, with traces of the original text still visible. In this context, the word evokes themes of erasure, suppression, and the layering of history. In Offred's world, the "unheard sound" could symbolize the silenced voices of women, their histories erased and overwritten by the oppressive regime of Gilead. Yet, like the traces of a palimpsest, these voices are not completely gone—they linger beneath the surface, waiting to be uncovered. This imagery highlights how the past, even when suppressed, continues to resonate subtly. It's also a poignant metaphor for Offred's own inner life. Though she outwardly conforms to the rules of Gilead, her thoughts, memories, and rebellious spirit remain "unheard," hidden beneath the facade of obedience.

‘…like the place…’

‘...like the place in a face where the eye has been taken out’

‘...like the place in a face where the eye has been taken out’

Surveillance, being watched. Draws similarities to 1984 by George Orwell, which Atwood was inspired by when writing Handmaids. Suggests both a physical and symbolic void—something vital and central has been removed, leaving behind a hollow and haunting emptiness. In the context of the novel, this imagery reflects the disfigurement of individuality and identity under Gilead's regime. Just as an eye is essential for vision and expression, the regime has stripped individuals—particularly women—of their autonomy, voice, and agency. The vivid and unsettling nature of the image emphasizes the violence and cruelty of this erasure, not only of physical freedoms but of personal identity and humanity itself. This phrase can also be interpreted as capturing Offred's inner turmoil. Her life in Gilead is marked by loss—of her family, her rights, and her sense of self. The metaphor underscores the grief and dehumanization that comes with being reduced to a mere function, like a faceless body serving the state.

‘Like other things…’

‘Like other things now, thought must be rationed.’

‘Like other things now, thought must be rationed.’

Reaganism - ‘a renewal of the traditional values that have been the bedrock of America’s goodness and greatness.’ This self-censorship becomes a survival mechanism, highlighting how deeply the control of Gilead penetrates into the individual psyche.

‘…an ironic…’

‘…an ironic smile…’

‘...an ironic smile...’

about Serena Joy’s wedding ring - The ring, traditionally a symbol of love and commitment, takes on a bitter irony in the context of her marriage and life in Gilead. Serena's "ironic smile" may reflect her disillusionment and resentment. Though her wedding ring signifies her union with the Commander and her role as a Wife, it also serves as a reminder of her diminished agency and the compromises she has made. Their marriage, rather than being a partnership of equals, is hollow and fraught with tension, shaped by the very system Serena helped to create. The irony lies in how the institution of marriage, which she likely once valued, has been twisted into a source of suffering and frustration for her.

‘Freedom…’

‘Freedom to and Freedom from.’ - Aunt Lydia

‘Freedom to and Freedom from.’

This refers to the liberty to make personal choices, take risks, and act independently. In the pre-Gilead society, individuals—particularly women—had the freedom to live as they wished, even if it involved danger or moral ambiguity. For example, women could dress and act however they wanted, but this also made them vulnerable to exploitation or violence. This type of freedom celebrates individuality and agency but comes with uncertainty and responsibility. "Freedom from": This is the type of freedom Gilead enforces, framed as liberation from chaos, danger, or moral decay. In theory, Gilead provides women with "freedom from" objectification, harassment, and insecurity. However, this comes at the cost of their autonomy, individuality, and personal freedoms. Their lives are strictly controlled, and their roles reduced to rigid, oppressive functions within the state.

‘We have learned…’

‘We have learned to see the world in gasps.’

‘We have learned to see the world in gasps.’

The white wings of her headdress prevent her from seeing the world clearly, this means that the Handmaid’s view of the world is fragmented. The word "gasps" suggests brief, sharp moments of awareness or insight, as opposed to a continuous, free-flowing understanding of the world. This reflects how Gilead suppresses comprehensive knowledge, communication, and reflection. Offred and others can only grasp snippets of reality, their understanding fragmented by censorship and fear. It highlights the instinctive human need to observe and interpret, no matter how limited the circumstances.

‘The heads…’

‘The heads are zeros.’

‘The heads are zeros.’

About the people hanging on the wall - Gildead reduces people to just numbers. The people on the wall serve as a warning to others to not rebel. The executed people hang on the wall, their heads are covered as they are dehumanised. The term "zeros" suggests emptiness or absence, reflecting not only the physical lifelessness of the executed but also the void of justice, empathy, and individual worth in Gilead's system. It emphasizes the regime’s complete disregard for human life. The phrase also reflects Gilead's intent to erase opposition. The "zeros" become faceless representations of disobedience, stripped of their stories or voices. By dehumanizing them, the regime solidifies its power and deters rebellion.

‘If it’s a story…’

‘If it’s a story I’m telling, then I have control over the ending.’

‘If it’s a story I’m telling, then I have control over the ending.’

Offred’s storytelling becomes an act of rebellion. It also gives her a sense of hope, a sense that something will come after the regime and there will be an ending. The act of storytelling allows Offred to preserve her identity and humanity. By recounting her life before and during Gilead, she keeps her memories alive, resisting the erasure of her past self that the regime seeks to enforce. Unreliable narration from Offred.

‘Nolite…’

‘Nolite te bastardes carbonrundorum.’

‘Nolite te bastardes carbonrundorum.’

Message engraved in Offred’s room by the previous Offred, ‘Don’t let the bastards grind you down’ Serves as a message of resistance and encouragement. Offred discovers this phrase carved into the wood of her closet by a previous Handmaid, leaving behind a legacy of resistance. It symbolizes the bond between women who have suffered under the regime, and how even small acts of rebellion can resonate and inspire others.

‘Blessed are…’

‘Blessed are the meek. She didn’t go on to say anything about inheriting the earth.’

‘Blessed are the meek. She didn’t go on to say anything about inheriting the earth.’

Biblical reference. This quote appears to reinterpret or critique the biblical Beatitude, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). By stopping at "Blessed are the meek" and omitting the promise of inheritance, the speaker seems to cast doubt on the reward traditionally associated with meekness or humility. This omission may suggest skepticism about whether meekness is truly rewarded or could imply a harsher, more cynical worldview where such virtues might be undervalued or overlooked.

‘I am a…’

‘I am a national resource.’

‘I am a national resource.’

The statement "I am a national resource" reflects the way women, particularly Handmaids, are reduced to their reproductive capacity in the theocratic regime of Gilead. This line encapsulates the dehumanization they face—they are no longer seen as individuals but as assets to the state, valued only for their ability to bear children. Similarly, the reinterpretation of "Blessed are the meek," with the omission of inheriting the earth, underscores how religious language and teachings are manipulated in Gilead to justify oppression and control. It's a critique of how power structures can twist ideals to serve their own ends.

‘It is an…’

‘It is an incendiary device.’

‘It is an incendiary device.’

Quotation about the bible - Religion has become a backing for Gilded. It backs up their method. They justify the regime by misusing the bible. Incendiary meaning combustible and dangerous, with immense destructive potential. The bible itself isn’t a dangerous object, but it has become destructive as it has been manipulated. It is a dangerous weapon in the hands of the wrong people.

‘What he is f…’

‘What he is fucking is the lower part of my body. I do not say making love, because this is not what he’s doing.’

‘What he is fucking is the lower part of my body. I do not say making love, because this is not what he’s doing.’

During the ceremony - Offred’s description reduces the act to a mechanical, impersonal function, highlighting how the regime strips women of agency and reduces them to reproductive vessels. Her body is no longer her own but a tool for the state’s purposes. By explicitly stating, "I do not say making love," Offred rejects any notion of intimacy or affection in the act. This emphasizes the transactional and oppressive nature of her role as a Handmaid.

‘I feel like…’

‘I feel like the word shatter. I want to be with someone.’

‘I feel like the word shatter. I want to be with someone.’

Completely destroyed into lots of different fragments, and cannot be put back together in the same way again. Fragility, delicate. The metaphor of feeling "like the word shatter" evokes a sense of profound vulnerability and emotional fragmentation. Offred feels as though she is on the verge of breaking apart, emphasizing the psychological toll of her environment. The simple, direct statement "I want to be with someone" underscores Offred’s need for emotional and physical intimacy. This longing is not only a reaction to the isolation imposed on her by Gilead but also an assertion of her humanity and desire for normalcy.

‘You are a…’

‘You are a transitional generation...’ - Aunt Lydia

‘You are a transitional generation...’ - Aunt Lydia

The Handmaids know the time before and also Gilead. Gilead cannot control their memories. The next generation will only know Gilead. They have power in the memories of the time before Gilead.

‘A man is just…’

‘A man is just a woman’s strategy for making other women.’ - Offred’s Mother

‘A man is just a woman’s strategy for making other women.’ - Offred’s Mother

Offred’s mother, a feminist activist in the novel, expresses a worldview that highlights the power of women as life-givers and suggests that men’s importance is secondary to this biological and social process. It might be seen as a response to a male-dominated society, flipping the script to provoke thought about the roles assigned to each gender. In the context of the novel, this line also reflects the generational divide between Offred and her mother. While Offred’s mother is unapologetically radical and outspoken, Offred herself represents a more subdued and internalized reaction to the constraints imposed on women in their dystopian reality. The quote encapsulates her mother’s defiant spirit, serving as a sharp reminder of feminist discourse that both inspired and divided women during the time.

‘For every rule…’

‘For every rule there is always an exception…’

‘For every rule there is always an exception…’

The Republic of Gilead enforces extreme rules to oppress and subjugate, but the existence of exceptions reflects the inherent contradictions and hypocrisies of such a regime. For instance, the Commanders engage in forbidden pleasures at places like Jezebel's, and Serena Joy facilitates Offred's liaison with Nick, even though it defies the laws of Gilead. These acts demonstrate how those in power bend or break rules to serve their own interests while enforcing them on others.

‘I’d like you to…’

“I’d like you to play a game of Scrabble with me...” - The Commander

“I’d like you to play a game of Scrabble with me...” - The Commander

The Handmaids aren’t allowed to read or write. Fred enjoys watching Offred break the rules. It is almost voyeuristic to him to watch her indulge in such sins.

‘I find it…’

‘I find it... Impersonal...’ - The Commander

‘I find it... Impersonal...’ - The Commander

The Commander about the Ceremony - Fred is unaware of how the Ceremony impacts Offred, she is forced to do it out of fear. The dystopian genre makes relationships impersonal, sex is for procreation not for recreation. It is not for the Handmaid to enjoy, but the Commander will always feel pleasure from it, as he has to orgasm in order to impregnate her. Fred doesn’t understand the danger that could’ve been faced if Serena saw him touch her.

‘…already he’s…’

‘...already he’s starting to patronize me.’

‘...already he’s starting to patronize me.’

Offred about Luke after she loses her job - With her job taken away, she loses a source of independence and agency, and she perceives Luke beginning to view her differently—as someone more dependent on him. This dynamic highlights the insidious ways that Gilead's oppressive policies infiltrate even personal relationships, reinforcing traditional gender roles and diminishing women's autonomy. The use of "already" suggests Offred's fear that this patronizing attitude could deepen over time, foreshadowing the broader loss of agency she will experience under Gilead.

‘…one and…’

‘...one and one and one and one don’t make four.’ - The Commander

‘...one and one and one and one don’t make four.’ - The Commander

Fred doesn’t want unity in the regime, typical of totalitarian regimes. Mass groups assimilate power. There are no true bonds, they only pledge loyalty to Gilead.

‘And because he said…’

‘And because he said it instead of her, I knew he meant kill.’

‘And because he said it instead of her, I knew he meant kill.’

Luke kills the cat - Luke dehumanises the cat, this detaches him from it to make it easier to kill it. Mirrors the dehumanisation of the handmaids. Everyone has become an ‘it’, less shame in killing them.

‘I’m a refugee…’

‘I’m a refugee from the past...’

‘I’m a refugee from the past...’

Alienation in dystopian society. Refugee - forcibly displaced. ‘Refugee’ underscore her resistance to fully assimilating into new society.

“What do you…”

“What do you think of our little club?” - The Commander

“What do you think of our little club?” - The Commander

The Commander about Jezebels - Irony and hypocrisy, ‘little’ trivializes its existence.

“But everyone’s…”

“But everyone’s human, after all.” - The Commander

“But everyone’s human, after all.” - The Commander

The Commander about Jezebels - Hypocrisy of the regime, moral decay. Trivializes the suffering of the women who work there.

‘They figure you’ve…’

‘They figure you’ve got three years maximum… before your nose falls off and your skin pulls away…’ - Moira

‘They figure you’ve got three years maximum… before your nose falls off and your skin pulls away…’ - Moira

Moira about the colonies - Humans have destroyed the world, it is heavily polluted. Slow, painful death in the colonies.

‘Impossible to think…’

‘‘Impossible to think that anyone for whom I feel such gratitude could betray me.’

‘Impossible to think that anyone for whom I feel such gratitude could betray me.’

Offred about Nick - Offred has started to lose some of her rebellious nature towards the regime because of her connection with Nick. Her fatal flaw is her trust in people in the regime.

‘I no longer…’

‘I no longer want to leave, escape, cross the border to freedom. I want to be here, with Nick...’

‘I no longer want to leave, escape, cross the border to freedom. I want to be here, with Nick...’

Offred’s longing to stay with Nick suggests a surrender of her wider hopes for freedom in exchange for the immediate comfort of companionship. Her flaw, her trust in him and the Commander is too deep.

‘And so I…’

‘And so I step up, into the darkness within; or else the light.’ - Ending line

‘And so I step up, into the darkness within; or else the light.’ - Ending line

Ambiguous ending , uncertainty of Offred’s fate. ‘ Darkness’ could symbolise death, imprisonment, or a continuation of her oppressive existence. The ‘light’ represents hope, freedom or rescue. Offred decides to step into the unknown: trust in Nick. Could lead her to salvation or doom. The novel ends on a note of ambiguity, reflecting the broader theme of hope amidst uncertainty.

‘It’s a beautiful…’

“It’s a beautiful May Day” - Ofglen

“It’s a beautiful May Day” - Ofglen

M’aidez, French for ‘help me’. The term "May Day" carries a double meaning. On one hand, it refers to the traditional celebration of spring, a time associated with renewal and vitality. On the other, "May Day" is an international distress signal and a symbol of workers' solidarity and rebellion. This subtle layering of meanings hints at the theme of resistance within the novel, as Offred herself learns that “May Day” is also the name of the underground resistance movement working against Gilead.