It's Lit

My artwork depicts the conflict between Offred and Serena joy, but in a broader sense handmaids and wives in general. In the society of Gilead, handmaids are hated and looked down upon, treated like cattle instead of actual people. Besides the “unwomen” they probably have the worst position in society. However, the point of my art argues that in the greater scheme of things, the wives are not much better. While the wives are definitely more privileged, they aren’t free from the oppressive system. For example, the text states, “Serena Joy grips my hands as if it is she, not I, who’s being fucked — He is preoccupied, like a man humming to himself in the showing without knowing he’s humming”. The wives are forced to help this awful process without complaint. It’s easy to go throughout the novel hating Serena Joy, for most of the book I did as well. But as I read further and got to know the commander I realized all the wives are victims as well. Imagine being a woman forced to stay in the house, knitting and praying all day. Married to a man that regularly rapes his servants in front of you. On top of that you are infertile and the only option to have a child is to steal it away from the servants your husband takes advantage of. This is the norm in gilead. According to society and the god you worship, this is how life is supposed to be, and to complain about it would mean punishment, despite your wife status. In the society of Gilead, only men like the commander can truly claim any status.

Art analysis: Everything about the handmaids and wives are conflicting, even the red and blue they wear clash. The black line through the middle represents their separation. However, towards the line, the clashing blue and red begin to blend together. Showing that despite what we see on the surface the wives and handmaids are in similar situations. The line toward the top separates the commander from both the wives and handmaids. Though the handmaids and wives are opposing, they are on the same level, the commander however is quite literally above them. There is no perspective to look through that puts the commanders on the same level as the handmaids and wives. I chose black to represent the commander because it’s a very dominating color. Unlike the blue and red, the commander’s black does not blend or fade. I wanted this show to show that he is without a doubt on top of the system. If you notice where the opposing line between the handmaids and wives start, it starts from the Commander’s cane. I did this to show the fact that the conflict between them started and kept going because of the commander. Overall my major goal was to show that the conflict between the handmaids and wives is just surface level, and that the real conflict is between all the women of Gilead and the commanders, who represent the system itself.