THT - Religion AO1+AO2

Thesis of religion

• Religion is the major source of control.

• Even though Gilead claims to promote Christian values, in reality, these values are distorted and used as a way to promote the oppression of women.

• Atwood uses religious symbolism, allusions, and other motifs to criticise the way religion can be used as a justification for this oppression.

• Yet religious ideals can also be used as a source of the Handmaids' resistance.

How is religion used to control

• The appropriation of religious narratives to exert control over women's bodies (e.g. the narrative from Genesis 30:1-3 used as an intertext to vindicate Gilead's affinity for state-sanctioned rape for surrogacy).
• The organizing of secular activities with religious filters to interweave religion into everyday life (e.g.'Milk and Honey').
• The distortion and manipulation of biblical passages to brainwash the Handmaids ('Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the silent').
• Prescribed religious phrasing as methods of communication ('Praise be').

• "blessed be the fruit"

• "may the lord open"

ch 4

• These two quotes are acceptable greetings in Gilead, both reinforcing the importance and value of having children.

• In Rachel and Leah's story, their wombs are referred to as either 'open' or 'closed'; thus, the Handmaids are supposed to be hopeful that their wombs will be 'open'.

• "Praise be"

• "Under his eye, the right farewell"

• "God made them that way, but he did not make you that way. He made you different"

ch 8

• The Gileadean adaptation of 'praise be' omits any mention of God, therefore showing how religion and religious language is not really meant to be a form of worship, but instead is used as a method of control.

• This phrase refers to the Eye of God (also known as the The Eye of Providence, or the all-seeing Eye). It is an acceptable way to say goodbye and, ultimately, it symbolises people's lack of freedom because the Eye of God suggests God is always watching. Gilead exploits this constant surveillance to retain firm control.

• Aunt Lydia distorts religion to control the Handmaids, as shown through this quote.

Janine tells the group of Handmaids "about how she was gang-raped at fourteen and had an abortion".

• "her fault, her fault, her fault"

• "Why did God allow such a terrible thing to happen?"

ch 13

• The concept of testifying appears throughout the Bible and in the Christian religion. This typically refers to confessing one's sins.

• In Gilead, whilst testifying does involve confessing one's sins, instead of receiving forgiveness, it is an opportunity to reinforce sexist ideas and patriarchy.

• "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth"

• "Give me children or else I die"

• "Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the silent" (Cheeky nod to religious distortion in C20, "it was from the Bible, or so they said").

ch 15

Gilead manipulates religious language to mould patriarchal idealism and align with their ideology, therefore reinforcing control over the Handmaids.

ch 20 quotes

• "it was from the Bible, or so they said"

• "But they were Godless"

ch 24 key quote

"It's nature's way. It's God's device...Aunt Lydia did not actually say this, but it was implicit in everything she did say"

• "Ordering prayers from Soul Scrolls is supposed to be a sign of piety and faithfulness to the regime, so of course the Commander's wives do it a lot. It helps their husband's careers"

• "Each machine has an eye"

• "I think it was lingerie"

ch 27

• That it 'helps the husband's careers' suggests that religion is merely a tool to advance political status, thus suggesting that no-one truly believes in religion; Atwood, then, criticises how religion is exploited to vindicate oppression.

• Ironic that Soul Scrolls used to sell lingerie; represents shift in society, from sensuality to manipulated spirituality.

• That prayers are printed by machines makes the process impersonal, thus losing the spiritual meaning.

• That there is an Eye during prayer reinforces the notion of surveillance; it is a constant reminder not to commit heresy within prayer.

• "Christmas card angels, regimented in our robes of purity"

• "We must look good from a distance: picturesque, like Dutch milkmaids"

• "soothing to the eye, the eyes, the Eyes, for that's who this show is for"

ch 30/33

Lydia's attentiveness to the superficial visual quality of religion echoes the Soul Scrolls. Note how Lydia moulds the Handmaids into Christian archetypes of purity.

"And so I step up, into the darkness within; or else the light"

ch 46

• Juxtaposition of light and darkness employed frequently throughout; the former symbolising salvation and goodness, the latter symbolising sin and temptation.

• Offred's speculation of her fate is described in religious language.

• Her entering the 'darkness within' could represent her acknowledgement of how she has gone against Gilead's ideals, and thus, from their perspective, is a sinner and a subversive.

• Offred's idea of light and salvation, then, could be indicative of death- it is her escape from the oppression and hardship of Gilead.

How is religion used to subvert?

• Christian principles of hope, faith and charity are utilised by the Handmaids to rebel.

• Characters also twist lines from biblical passages to resist Gilead.

• "was bound, but now am free"

• "such songs are not sung anymore in public, especially the ones that use words like free. They are considered too dangerous"

ch 10

• Although quoting Amazing Grace, Offred changes the text, from 'see' to 'free', thus showing how Offred longs for freedom. Her role as a Handmaid has 'bound' her to a life of servitude and oppression.

• After she sings the song to herself, Offred notes that 'such songs are not sung anymore in public, especially the ones that use words like free. They are considered too dangerous', thus she recognises how her actions are considered sinful.

• Not only does Offred's version of the hymn show how she wants freedom, but it is also a way to resist Gilead's oppression.

How is hope utilised by characters to rebel?

CHAPTER 3:
The first time Offred mentions feeling hope is when she sees Serena Joy smoking a cigarette. Since Gilead bans all things that could be seen as vices, Offred notes that "the cigarettes must have come from the black market, I thought, and this gave me hope".

CHAPTER 27:
Offred expresses the "hope" "rising" in her when Ofglen reveals to her the existence of Mayday. Instead of finding hope in God/Jesus like in the Christian belief, Offred finds hope in the fact that there is a resistance.

How is charity utilised by characters to rebel?

ch 15: "We stole extra packets of sugar for her"

What does the use of charity show?

• Charity, in the Biblical sense, is a way to express love to another person and usually involves giving something to someone who is less fortunate. It's an act of kindness and generosity.

• For the Handmaids, charity permits them to express their love to Moira by giving her extra packets of sugar. Offred notes that, even though she probably didn't need it, it was the only thing the Handmaids had "to give."

• This act of charity is also an act of rebellion for the Handmaids; they utilising Christian values to resist Christianity.

• By finding her faith in this phrase, Offred is embodying a Christian value by rejecting a society that embraces Christian values.

How is faith utilised by characters to rebel?

ch 9:
Offred finds the phrase "nolite te bastardes carborundorum" carved into the wall of her closet by the Handmaid who came before her. In a Christian context, people often view their faith in God as something that gives them strength and helps them through trying times. In Offred's case, nolite de bastardes carborundorum serves a similar purpose. She remarks that, because Handmaids are forbidden to write, the message in the cupboard is "intended for whoever came next" (Chapter 9). Knowing that this message was intended for her provides Offred with a connection to predecessor and makes her feel as though she is not alone. Particularly in a society that discourages female alliances and friendships, this connection helps Offred feel like she has an ally. Offred's repetition of the phrase comes at times when she is feeling helpless, confused, or uncertain. For example, Offred repeats the phrase before the Ceremony (ch 15), after her first meeting with the Commander (ch 24), when she remembers being separated from her family (ch 35), and before she is taken by the Eyes/Mayday (ch 46).