The Handmaid's Tale - Themes

Identity

In the novel the characters' senses of identity are reduced under the regime. Every person has a class which is identified through colour and these classes are considered more important than name or individuality. Handmaids are actually completely stripped of their names, having them replaced by things like 'Ofglen' or 'Offred', further taking away from their identities by turning them into property. Convicted criminals hung on the wall even have bags put over their heads and signs with their crimes on so that their crimes become their identities.

Restriction of Language

In the regime of Gilead language is used to control the citizens. Spoken language is restricted, people are given set greetings and responses. Written language is even more restricted, nearly outlawed. The shops are identified using picture signs instead of written and women are not allowed any reading material. The regime is based on the Bible but even passages of that are edited to fit the regimes purposes and no one can prove it was ever any different because they are not allowed reading material

Freedom of Language

As Offred narrates her own story throughout the novel she explains multiple times that she uses certain words to reconstruct her own story. She allows herself to also reflect on words and their meanings and uses words to create an atmosphere. The ability to choose the language she uses gives her power over the tone and atmosphere of her story, and in this way language can be seen as liberating.

Gender Roles

Men and women in Gilead have separate and strict roles and functions. Men have military roles such as Eyes, Commanders and Guardians, they are the ones in society who guard, spy, and punish. Women on the other hand are stripped of all liberties and are only used for their physical uses. Marthas do the household chores, Wives serve their husbands, Aunts train other women, and Handmaids bear children. Expressions of sexuality by either gender other than for procreation are forbidden, and it is punishable by death to be homosexual or use birth control.

Captivity

The control and prison-like atmosphere of Gilead is introduced right away in chapter one. True liberty can not exist within the regime of Gilead because everyone lives with a type of restriction on their lives. People in poor positions like Handmaids are controlled and kept captive through careful lies and manipulation. As their liberty is taken away they are told their liberty to choose is replaced with a better liberty, freedom from rape and violence. This offers the illusion of security and keeps everyone trapped and compliant. It is also explored in the novel how even just small liberties like giving the Wives' a garden can stop people from rising up against oppression.

Liberty

Despite the level of control in the regime people in the novel find ways to create their own small liberties such as meeting behind closed doors or buying cigarettes from the black market. However, Offred explores within her own narrative about how she can go to places in her mind that are forbidden in the real world. She has the freedom to construct this narrative as she pleases and can sometimes even imagine events differently to how they really occurred and to explore the forbidden past. In this way there is still an example of how liberty and small freedoms will always be present in a way.

Memory

Memory is present constantly in the novel in many forms. Offred's entire narrative and view of the regime is mostly built up through memories and short stories she tell herself throughout the course of the novel. Memories are also shown as a form of rebellion within the regime as it is only through memories that the reader can see the contrast between Gilead and pre-Gilead and see the loss of women's rights and how much Offred truly dislikes the situation she finds herself in. We can see how happy she was in the past and how empty her life is without everything she used to have. However, memories of the Red Centre also show how memory is not always good and things that she was told there can reinforce the regime as much as much as other memories may silently defy it.

Theocracy

Gilead is without doubt a theocracy. Religion is present in every part of the society. The position of the Handmaids is taken from the Rachel and Leah story in the Bible and Marthas were named after a kitchen worker from the New Testament. Before the Ceremony the Commander reads from the Bible to reinforce the religious reasoning behind the adulterous acts and justify the Ceremony. However, not even the Bible is safe from manipulation and many Bible passages are twisted and edited to serve the purposes of the regime.

Fertility

Fertility is Gilead's major failing and it's hope for the future. It is an important part of the regime, with many customs and ceremonies surrounding it. The role of Handmaids exists largely because of the failing fertility of the country and they are used to try and help repopulate the country. Many reasons are given for the falling fertility, including STDs, birth control and pollution. The irony of the regime is that the Handmaids' safety depends on a successful birth but the immense pressure to conceive successfully decreases the chances. For the Handmaids fertility is the reason for their captivity however it is also the source of their power because, as Offred phrases it, even the most influential people are at the whim of their bodies.

Rebellion

Every major character in the story engages in disobedience against the laws of Gilead at some point or another. Moira is the most bold, escaping from the Red Centre and constantly defying the rules. Offred's disobedience is more mental, with her thinking thoughts that would have her persecuted if she vocalized them. Even the Commander and Serena Joy engage in disobedience, whether through buying black market cigarettes or secret meetings. The fact that even the most influential members of Gilead engage in these small forms of rebellion presents how similar the characters are to real humans, with no one quite willing to accept the lack of independence, and this adds to the complexity of the dystopian setting.

Love

Despite love being redundant and banned in the society of Gilead it is very present throughout the novel. It is Offred's greatest source of strength throughout the book, allowing the memories of her love for Luke, her daughter, and her mother to ground her and keep her sane. Later on in the novel her love for Nick also keeps her strong and inspires the critical point in the novel in which Nick tries to help Offred escape the oppression of the regime. Love in the novel seems to be the main driving force for most rebellion and for the good actions of characters. Love influences characters' actions in many ways, as mentioned above with Nick, but the Commander's desire for genuine love and affection also leads him to bend the rules to see Offred and give her things she otherwise wouldn't have. Overall, love is the best motivator for getting around the rules of Gilead and allows for both mental resistance and active resistance.