The Value of Pregnancy in The Handmaid's Tale

In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, there is a theme that pregnancy holds great significance throughout the story. The scene above is describing the moment when the main character Offred and another handmaid Ofglen went to a store named Milk and Honey with coupons for certain items. They encounter Ofwarren, also known as Janine; her real name. Both Offred and Ofwarren are outlined in red, to highlight whose point of view the readers are looking through, and the main focus. Atwood states, “As we wait in our double line, the door opens and two more women come in, both in red dresses and white wings of the Handmaids. One is vastly pregnant; her belly, under her loose garment, swells triumphantly. There is a shifting in the room, a murmur, an escape of breath; despite ourselves we turn our heads, blatantly, to see better; our fingers itch to touch her. She’s a magic presence to us, an object of envy and desire, we covet her.” (p. 26)

This quote strongly explains the importance and significance of pregnancy. The general thought the women were having as they waited in line is expressed by the thought bubble above their head. It was an uncommon thing for pregnant women to leave the house to go shopping. These duties are handed off to others when the handmaids get pregnant. The hands reaching out towards the pregnant belly represented certain key phrases such as ‘our fingers itch to touch her’ and ‘an object of envy and desire’. When reading about pregnancy the first time, the women seemed to have yearned for it. This is very important in the story because pregnancy is a representation for survival. In an interaction between the doctor and Offred, readers can begin to understand how serious it is. Atwood writes, “There are only women who are fruitful and women who are barren, that’s the law. ‘Lots of women do it,’ he goes on. ‘You want a baby, don’t you?’ ‘Yes,’ I say. It’s true, and I don’t ask why, because I know. Give me children, or else I die.” (p.61)

Throughout the reading it is clear that the majority of women in Gilead are seen as objects. In order to survive, to be ‘useful’, they must be able to produce a healthy child in this corrupted system. It is important to include that the women in Gilead have adjusted to an entirely new lifestyle, norm, and purpose in life after society changed. The freedom of choice has been eradicated in Gilead, and the community is seemingly based on fertility. Women have been portrayed like objects and reproduction machines. In the Milk and Honey store, Offred along with the other women around her, couldn’t keep their attention off of Janine. The bubble is a collective thought between them, and I wanted to express that heavily in the art piece. It became a common vision they shared. The leaves by the closing door they came through represents a recent entry into the store when everyone’s focus shifted to Janine. As the readers learn more about the system throughout the story, the true value of becoming pregnant is revealed.