Gilead: Where Church and State Meet

Right now our country is divided between right and left. Both sides are seemingly trying to pull the country in two opposite directions. I know you said we should write about politics OR religion, but I feel that in this scenario we cannot separate the two. As of 2023 over 60% of the U.S. Population identifies as Christian, and about 25% identify as catholic. A large wave of conservatism has been running rampant through our country for quite a long time now and with social media that wave is only growing with younger people also adopting these older politics. Many of our republican representatives share these very strong, conservative political views that deeply impact women (and men) stemming from Christian ideals.

Abortion has been a very controversial topic for longer than I could probably imagine. Recently, it has still been at the forefront of political discussions and debates with pro-life and pro-choice protests sparking violence. The Handmaid’s Tale has made it very clear that Gilead is a pro-life society and abortion is punishable by death. Even assisting with an abortion can turn you into an ornament on “the Wall” where those killed at the “Men’s Salvagings” are displayed as a public warning.

“Each has a placard hung around his neck to show why he has been executed: a drawing of a human fetus. They were doctors, then, in the time before, when such things were legal. Angel makers, they used to call them; or was it something else?” pg. 32

As tensions around abortion laws have been brewing, most recently, Roe v. Wade was overturned which has greatly upset those with pro-choice values. Remember that The Handmaid’s Tale was written as a precautionary tale and Margret Atwood did not put anything in here that she says humans haven’t already done. Gilead is the direction she believes we are going in and the overturning of Roe v. Wade can be considered a step in that direction.

There has always been a stigma around sex in the catholic church. Many christians believe sex should be for reproductive purposes only, which is why any pre-marital sex is considered sin. The idea is that sex is a means for an end, usually a family. However in Gilead it doesn’t seem to be about starting families. The Commanders and Handmaid’s aren’t raising these babies, and they definitely aren’t starting families. Yet the negative stigma around sex for pleasure is still very present. Despite that, characters have shown clear wants for sex throughout the book. But, it’s not just the sex they want, it’s the intimacy.

“We all do it. As long as we do this, butter our skin to keep it soft, we can believe that we will some day get out, that we will be touched again, in love or desire” pg. 96 Offred compares the idea of having sex with Nick in secrecy to “shooting someone”.

“He puts his hand on my arm, pulls me against him, his mouth on mine — how I’d like to — My hand goes down , how about that, I could unbutton, and then. But it’s too dangerous” pg. 98 Even the Commander, who is the one that is supposed to be reproducing with Offred and nothing more desires that intimacy.

“I want you to kiss me, said the Commander” pg. 135

Today, slut-shaming has become a very common thing in our society. Stigmatizing and ultimately condemning a woman for engaging in behavior judged to be promiscuous or sexually provocative. The wiki dictionary on slut-shaming defines sluts as “people, especially women and girls, who are perceived to violate expectations of behavior and appearance regarding issues related to sexuality”. As a society we already have “expectations” about how a woman should conduct herself in regards to her sexuality. Everyone is different when it comes to sex and the way they express their sexuality. But most people have a sex drive, and Gilead is designed to suppress them and indoctrinate them to believe sexual expression and desire is wrong.

Janine, a girl who was raped, was openly condemned in class and used as an example for all the other girls.

“Whose fault was it? Aunt Helena says — Her fault, her fault, her fault, we chant in unison. Who led them on? Aunt Helena beams, pleased with us. She did. She did. She did. Why did God allow such a terrible thing to happen? Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson.”

“We meant it, which was the bad part.” pg. 72

We are being taught the same things now. Obviously not in such an extreme manner, but the way we see several forms of media portray sexuality and the way we see society respond, similar messages are being spread and understood as true. The most important thing about The Handmaid’s Tale in my opinion is that it is based in the future, and not the past. This book serves as a warning that is extremely relevant now as the wall of separation between church and state becomes less and less stable.

“There’s nothing in The Handmaid’s Tale that didn’t happen, somewhere” -Margaret Atwood