The Perception of Freedom

In chapter five of The Handmaid’s Tale, there is a long list of rules and restrictions governing the women in Gilead, especially the Handmaids. These rules shape the mind of the women, altering the perception of their own freedom. The clothes they wear make them walking signifiers of their “status”, as well as removing their individuality and controlling their visibility. One way this society makes sure to maintain women’s compliance is by banning reading and writing. These rules are so decided that even small acts of disobedience turn into what everyone else sees as a major defiance. All of this sums up to the manipulation of freedom. The rules are justified to the Handmaids as if they’re made so that they have a “choice”, when in reality they do not.

Handmaids are always dressed in red and white, which marks their fertility and their role. This way of dressing, Offred refers to as a habit, making this seem like an ingrained custom. “Some people call them habits, a good word for them. Habits are hard to break.”(24) This quote suggests that the clothing is not just uniform, but a way to force a habit onto the women. The white wings are a restriction of sight, which can be seen as both physical and intellectual limitations, preventing them from seeing the outside world as well as not allowing them to think freely. The rules governing their interactions on the street are strict. They always have to stay in pairs, not speak unless absolutely necessary, and keep their heads down. This instills isolation from each other, forcing them into a state of surveillance and distrust.

Having the ability to read and write is a powerful tool in maintaining ignorance. The store signs in the town are now pictograms. This visual prohibition is a constant reminder of the control over women’s access to information. They treat women as illiterate and incapable of making independent decisions or thoughts. The goal behind this is to make them seem or feel incompetent of making choices, with this it allows the higher ups to further keep them brain washed. Offred often talks about the loss of control, something as simple as handling or earning your own money gets taken away. “We use tokens for food, not money, money has been deregulated.” She reminisces on her past, thinking about the laundromats, where she had “my own soap, my own money, money I had earned myself.”(24) These simple acts have been stripped away due to Gilead’s rules.

The handmaids try to maintain an independence, because the opportunity for it is so slim already, they take the risk of or think of taking the risk of breaking the rules. A very big rule the handmaids have is no contact in any way with anyone, and Offred eventually breaks this rule. This society suppresses and prohibits all forms of a woman’s personal relationship, it makes it seem as if something as small as eye contact is an act of resistance. Gilead seeks to control the handmaids’ bodies as a function. They dehumanize these women so much and act as if they are machines made solely for the purpose of reproducing. Gilead doesn’t want to control the handmaids’ bodies, they also want the power to control their thoughts and memories. This is the rule we see Offred constantly breaking, she often has a constant flow or memories reminiscing on her past life. This is a strong example of how Gilead has the ability to restrict the body, but they have not been able to master the mind.

Before all these rules Aunt Lydia described Gilead as “freedom to”, but now it is “freedom from.” The idea of freedom is now twisted in a way to make the handmaids believe they have been saved from all the bad things in society, but what it really does is take away their ability to choose. “There is more than one kind of freedom. Freedom to and freedom from. In days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom. Don’t underrate it.”(25) “Freedom to” would be when women had the freedom to choose their clothes, jobs, and partners. While they had this freedom they were still exposed to sexual harassment and violence. “Freedom from” would be the positive benefits, women have freedom from fear, unwanted attention, and the pressure of objectification. Gilead stretched the dangers of before so much so that they can make it seem like all of this is for the protection of the women, when really it instills power, control, and tricking the handmaids into accepting oppression in exchange for a false sense of security.

I feel a lot of sympathy for the women in this story, I can’t imagine what it would be like everyday to live under the control of someone else. Having the right of choice taken away is insane to me or being forced to forget your old life is something I never want to imagine. When the author writes scenes of her having memories with her child and husband, having her freedom, and the pain of losing her family and basically her whole life taken away, I can feel the impact and emotion brought up with it.