2
Women’s uniforms in the Republic of Gilead represent their functions within society. The varying colors of uniforms denote the status of the women wearing them. Uniforms can not ultimately be changed: “some people call them habits, a good word for them. Habits are hard to break” (p. 31). Uniforms consist of a dress and a veil. The function of the veil is to conceal and hide women as well as to prevent women from seeing. Wives wear powder blue uniforms, which are representative of the Virgin Mary and melancholy. Daughters of Wives wear white, which is symbolic of virginity. Aunts wear an army khaki color, which is representative of their partial military role. Marthas wear dull green, which is representative of the service industry: “dull green, like a surgeon’s gown of the time before” (p. 30). Widows are typically seen in black, the color of mourning. Handmaids wear red which is representative of blood, menses, and birth: “red: the color of blood, which defines us” (p. 9). Unwomen wear gray, which is the color of ashes. Women that work at Jezebel’s as prostitutes are not restricted to uniforms like the rest of the women in the Republic of Gilead. They wear outdated costumes from the time before that are highly eroticized. For women in the Republic of Gilead, there is no freedom of choice in attire.
Women in the Republic of Gilead are objectified, viewed as property, controlled and lack freedom. The mobility of women throughout society is strictly controlled: “a rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze” (p. 206). Women are viewed as the property of men, especially the Handmaids of the Commanders. Handmaid’s names are not their own but are names associated with ownership of a Commander. The name Offred refers to of Fred, therefore Offred is the property of her
3
Commander Fred. The procedure of the ceremony is an interaction between owner and property: “as far as I’m concerned, this is a business transaction” (p. 18). Offred objectifies herself in various parts of the novel through comparing herself to inanimate objects. She objectifies herself in response to Serena Joy: “possibly she’ll put a hand on my shoulder, to steady herself, as if I’m a piece of furniture” (p.97). Offred also objectifies herself about her public relationship with the Commander: “I thought we should continue to act, in public, as if I were a large vase or a window: part of the background, inanimate or transparent” (p.203). The Republic of Gilead serves as a form of objectification and control.
Women are viewed as bodies, usually in parts rather than as wholes. The experience of fragmentation occurs by doctors, Commanders, Wives, and by the individual themselves. Offred’s experience at the doctor’s office focuses on parts, rather than a whole body: “at neck level there’s another sheet, suspended from the ceiling. It intersects me so that the doctor will never see my face. He deals with a torso only” (p. 74). Handmaids are seen by the society of the Republic of Gilead as reproductive bodies, not people: “we are two – legged wombs, that’s all: sacred vessels, ambulatory chalices” (p. 171). During the ceremony, both the Commander and his wife view Offred for her parts: “what he is fucking is the lower part of my body” (p. 116). Offred resents her own body because of its purpose: “I don’t want to look at something that determines me so completely” (p. 78). Offred reduces herself to parts rather than a whole: “I’m a cloud, congealed around a central object, the shape of a pear, which is hard and more real than I
4
am” (p. 91). Women in the novel are valued as bodies, and are sometimes reduced to parts of bodies.
For Handmaids, pregnancy is viewed as their only salvation. Strong feelings of hope and failure are common for Handmaids. Janine’s pregnancy is a symbol of hope for the Handmaids: “she’s a magic presence to us, an object of envy and desire, we covet her. She’s a flag on a hilltop, showing us what can still be done: we too can be saved” (p. 33). Offred feels failure every month with menstration: “each month I watch for blood, fearfully, for when it comes it means failure” (p. 91). When a Handmaid successfully bears a child, she is rewarded: “she’ll never be sent to the Colonies, she’ll never be declared Unwoman. That is her reward” (p. 159). Handmaids see pregnancy as their salvation because they will ultimately be rewarded.
The result of re-population in the Republic of Gilead is the objectification and value of reproductive qualities for women. Women in the Republic of Gilead live in a male dominated society, which leads to female inequality. The greatest source of inequality surfaces from the Republic of Gilead trying to increase the birth rate. The society of the Republic of Gilead is dystopic.