B. Frederick Judd was a figure mentioned in the novel's epilogue. His history was discovered when Professor Pieixoto and his colleagues were attempting to gain more insight into the figures mentioned in Offred's recorded cassette tapes, which they titled The Handmaid's Tale. The discovery of Judd was coincidental as both he and Waterford shared the same characteristics and first name and were both members of the Sons of Jacob[1].
Early Life, Pre-Gileadan times
The facts surrounding Judd's life as a former American citizen are scarce. All that was discovered was that he was married to a woman named Bambi Mae, and that the two had conceived no children.
Sons of Jacob and the formation of Gilead
Professor Pieixoto differentiates Judd from Waterford and describes Judd as having an aptitude for "tactics".
Judd created an "obscure 'C.I.A' pamphlet" that included instructions on how to destabilize foreign governments; it would become an instrumental "strategic handbook" for the Sons of Jacob.
Prior to the attacks killed the President and Congress, Judd had compiled a list of "prominent Americans" who were to be targeted and killed given their opposition to ideals the Sons of Jacob favored and believed in. More importantly, Judd orchestrated the "President's Day Massacre", a term used to describe the aforementioned attacks and coup that ultimately overthrew the United States of America. This, Professor Pieixoto says, likely placed Judd in a high position of power within the former United States government as the attacks themselves "required maximum infilltration of the security system surrounding Congress, and without which the Constitution could never have been suspended".
In addition to the attacks and formation of Gilead, Judd is also credited for creating Gilead's harsh anti-immigration policy (also used for ethnic cleanising) that expelled non-whites and Jewish from the former United States of America (The National Homelands and the Jewish Boat-person) which he had privatized. The boats carrying the Jewish were simply required to dump the the individuals in question into the Atlantic Sea. Judd capitalized off of these killings and deportations. His famous remark regarding these people was: "Our biggest mistake was teaching them to read. We won't do that again.[2]"
Though Commander Waterford is credited with coining the term "Particicution", it was actually Judd who created the practice. He viewed the Particicutions themselves as a specific reward for the Handmaids, to allow them to release any frustration they had bottled up within.
The class of women in Gilead known as "Aunts" were also a creation of Judd, who saw them as an important "female control agency". According to Judd, the most effective way to control women was through women themselves. The attraction, according to Professor Pieixoto, was the passion for "traditional values" or personal benefits such as authority (what little of it) the willing women were able to get. Another attraction was that the childless, infertile, and elderly women could escape being sent to the Colonies. According to Professor Pieixoto, many women were willing to serve as Aunts.
What eventually happened to Judd is unknown, but given that Gilead fell from power within a matter of a handful of decades, it can be assumed that he was tried for his terrorist crimes against humanity or defeated in Gilead's eventual downfall.
Trivia
The following section contains unreferenced claims (in particular about real-life persons) and is thus scheduled for deletion.
The novel itself has since been reanalyzed following the 2016 United States presidential election. Recently, the minor character of Judd was compared to the current senior advisor for policy[citation needed], Stephen Miller. Miller was instrumental in creating Trump's notorious and controversial travel ban on Muslim individuals. He also helped put into effect a policy that was geared at reducing refugees into the country as well as the Trump Administration's family separation policy, which generated a harsh and public national backlash[citation needed].
Notes
In the sixth episode of season one if the television series, Commander Putnam and Commander Waterford are discussing "security" concerns regarding the Sons of Jacob's intentions, with Serena Joy being barred from the discussions. He specifically says that the women have stressed the importance of academia regarding the ideals of the Son's of Jacob, forgetting their real purpose, "We won't let that happen again"--which bears a striking similarity to the character of Judd. It could be possible that the television series combined the characters of Putnam and Judd.
References
- ↑ The Handmaid's Tale (Novel), Epilogue, "Historical Notes on The Handmaid's Tale"
- ↑ See Notes