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Commander Andrew Pryce is a minor character in the TV series. He is a Commander of The Eyes and an early member of the Sons of Jacob. He is the line manager of Nick.

Before Gilead

Pryce works as a career counsellor. Nick is one of his unemployed customers who gets in a fight with another customer. After Nick is thrown out, Pryce invites him out for coffee. After Nick tells him about his brother and the hard times they've had, Pryce tells him about a religious group he is part of called the Sons of Jacob that wants to "clean up" the country.[1]


After the coup d'etat

Nick is driving Commander Pryce, Commander Waterford and Commander Guthrie. The three men discuss solutions for the declining fertility rates.

Pryce initially states they must treat "these girls (i.e. the remaining fertile women) respectfully, in a Godly fashion, despite the moral stain from their lives before". Guthrie and Waterford reject this as "window dressing" and ineffective. They eventually decide that all remaining fertile women should be collected to be "impregnated" by men of superior status during The Ceremony. [1]

In the present

Pryce reveals to Nick that Commander Guthrie has been sleeping with his last two Handmaids and is skimming from the transportation budget, according to his aide and his Martha.

Due to the suicide of the Waterfords' handmaid, Pryce orders Nick to spy on Mr Waterford and report all his future activities.

Pryce concludes "We are going to clean up Gilead, son".[1]

Trivia

Pryce calls Nick "son".

Before Gilead, Pryce wanted to clean up "the country" (i.e. the USA). In the present, he wants to clean up Gilead, the result of this first "cleanup".

Pryce is planning a purge. In the novel, several characters who were alive during the timeframe of The Handmaid's Tale are described as "dying during purges" which occurred in the Middle Gilead Period [2].

Pryce used to prefer a "respectful" treatment of fertile women. A successful "purge" (orchestrated by him) could mean an improvement for the life conditions of Handmaids (who aren't usually treated respectfully).

After the coup d'etat, he concedes to Waterford and Guthrie. In the present, he spies on them.

Notes

Pryce accepted the detention of fertile women although preferring a "respectful" treatment. The suicide of Offred's predecessor may have reconfirmed his initial point of view.




References

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