Drama Research- Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale is set in a dystopian world where the US Government has been overthrown and replaced with Gilead, a totalitarian and theocratic regime. The novel follows the story of Offred, a young mother, as she has to come to terms with living in state that gives women no rights and essentially enslaves them. In this theocratic system women are no longer allowed an education or freedom, in part due to the low fertility rates but also the religious beliefs of the leaders. There is also a class divide amongst women where fertile women are forced to become surrogate mothers for the wives of the elite. To emphasise this class difference the wives must wear blue whereas the Handmaids wear red.

The Importance of Colour

Colour is hugely important in the Handmaid's Tale and carries multiple symbolic meanings throughout the story. The two most important colours in the novel are, without a doubt, red and blue and both have links to religion and politics.

Political Meanings

The political symbolisation of the two main colours in the story relate to the class difference between different women. In the UK, blue is the colour of the Conservative party which is typically considered as a middle class party. This ties in with it being used for the wives of the elite. In contrast to this, red is the colour of the Labour party, the working class party, and is worn by the Handmaid's who are forced to work.

Religious Meanings

Both colours have huge religious significance and can relate back to many parts of the Bible. The colour blue, in religious terms, is used ironically in the novel. In the Bible blue often symbolises femininity, life and purity which is why it is worn by women. However, more importantly,it is a symbol of fertility which is ironic as most of the women who wear the colour are infertile. It is also the colour of the Virgin Mary and many of the wives are similar to biblical figure because they have children without being pregnant.

Red has many more meanings in the Bible than blue and one of the most relevant meanings is that it is the colour of sin. This links to the fact that the Handmaids commit adultery which goes against the ten commandments. Red is also the colour of love and infatuation in the bible, which is a key theme of this novel. Red also relates to the festival of Passover which teaches us that sacrifice can lead to saviour. During Passover, God sacrificed the first born children of Egyptians in order to save the Jews and blood was used to identify the houses of Jews. The Handmaids wearing red is a symbol of the sacrifice they have had to make in becoming a Handmaid but also how that sacrifice has ultimately led to their saviour.

Why is this a drama?

The Handmaid's Tale is a drama because it follows the journey of a character, Offred, dealing with real life issues, class division and the suppression of women. It is the emotional development and relatable hardship of the main character combined with a suspenseful plot that provides the dramatic element to this story. The Handmaid's Tale also contains a lot of rise and fall in tension, something which is synonymous to the genre.

Sub Genres

The Handmaid's tale also fits into other genres with the biggest being dystopia. It can be considered dystopian due to the fact that it is set in a fictitious future where, for certain groups of people, life is beyond terrible. There are also arguments for the story to be considered both science fiction and fantasy.

Social & Political Issues

This story addresses a vast number of social and political issues however there are two in particular that hold huge importance in today's society. The main issue in the Handmaid's Tale is sexism and the suppression of women. In this novel, women are given no rights and their bodies are essentially used for political purposes. This is an extreme representation of the way many women feel in the work place and political world. In the real world there are still very few women with powerful roles in politics and business which is shown by the fact that all women in the Handmaid's Tale are controlled by men who work for the all male government. Religion in politics is also a key issue that is brought up by the novel. In the Handmaid's Tale the ruling government is actually a religious group as supposed to a political party and, although the real world does not have many similar systems, it shows the dangers of giving religion too much control in the world of politics. We are currently living in a world that is full of conflict, much of which is in the name of religion. There are a number of countries in the middle east whose ruling governments are aligned, somewhat contriversially, to certain religious beliefs. There is also an argument that governments of the Western world have a religious agenda which is shown in the medias portrayal of some events. This story highlights the how our world, and political landscape, could become if we let religion interfere too much.