“Better never means better for everyone.”— Commander Fred to the existence of deprived social classes. [1]
The Republic of Gilead, colloquially referred to as simply Gilead or the "Divine Republic", is the totalitarian, theonomic, and neo-Puritanical regime that takes over most of the continental United States of America in The Handmaid's Tale. The regime can be seen as the overall main antagonist of the novel.
Society and Politics, Class System[]
The novel doesn't detail how Gilead's government functions; Gilead's official name containing the term "Republic" (latin for 'public affair') suggests the country has a Senate or similar governing body with members being appointed by some - presumably pseudo-democratic - electoral process.
Individual civil liberties as formerly granted by the suspended U.S. constitution have been replaced by a system of duties and privileges implemented in a hierarchy of social classes, with everyone being assigned to a particular class and expected to fulfill certain roles. Much of this legislation is influenced and justified by a rigid interpretation of scripture. The name Gilead itself is taken from the Bible, referring to several different locations and individuals and generally translated as "hill of testimony."[citation needed]
In particular, Gilead is a patriarchal society, where only men have access to higher education or the right to keep and bear arms, and only they can hold property, a job, or political positions[2].
Women are regarded as second-class citizens as they must submit to the authority of men. They are forbidden to read or write. In the novel, Gilead also discriminates against African-Americans, whom they refer to in their religious rhetoric as the "Children of Ham"[3]. African-Americans, as well as Asians, were sent to the Gilead National Homelands in North Dakota, a relocation that was in truth a genocide. However, the regime later considers this to be a mistake due to international backlash. The fact that Pearls are accepted from Mexico, a country with a large mestizo population, might indicate that later Gilead relaxes its racial policy.
Some civil rights however are suspended for good, e.g. freedom of speech ("heresy"), freedom of religion[4], freedom of the press, freedom of assembly[2]. The Eyes serve as Gilead's political police force and spies to detect and prosecute noncompliances.
Female Classes[]
Women are believed to be the "lesser" sex, who should be subject to men. Women's main purpose in this society is bearing and raising children, which is given particular emphasis due to the possible rampant infertility present in North America at the time. Women are not allowed to participate in the government, be educated, hold property or have a career. By law, only women can be considered infertile, not men, thus placing the blame for the fertility crisis solely on women. Because of these beliefs, men cannot "factually" be infertile, even if this is the case; to suggest otherwise is heresy.
- Wives are the highest-ranking women.
- Aunts
- Pearl Girls are female missionaries who go abroad to recruit more women for Gilead.
- Handmaids
- Pearls are foreign women recruited to Gilead. Later, they are assigned to a different class.
- Marthas
- Econowives are wed to poor or low-ranking men and must fulfill all functions of a Gileadean woman[5].
- Unwomen
Male Classes[]
- The high-ranking men who govern Gilead are known as Commanders of the Faithful.
- Angels are soldiers that serve on the front lines[6], as well as medical personnel[7].
- Guardians are used for routine policing, they serve as bodyguards, security officers and personal drivers to Commanders. They can be promoted to Angels[8].
- Economen
- Skilled professionals, such as dentists, may mingle with Gilead's elite and have their female children educated as Daughters rather than Econodaughters.
Law & Punishment[]
The law is absolute in Gilead. Any rule-breaking or subversion committed in Gilead must be reported and is harshly punished. Criminals are often executed and their bodies displayed on the Wall as a severe warning; the Eyes also use excessive torture and other brutal interrogation tactics on their prisoners.
Abortion and contraception are considered some of the greatest sins. Doctors who performed abortions before Gilead's establishment are executed. Adultery or fraternization between men and women is viewed as "fornication" and is punishable by death for all involved. Homosexuality, referred to as "Gender Treachery," is considered a sin and a crime punishable by death.
Executions[]
Executions are held in public. Women are executed by hanging, with Handmaids being given the rope to hang the condemned together, thus sharing in the "responsibility" of punishing the wicked. Those that are spared execution can be sent to the toxic Colonies, where life is short and brutal. The Colonies are often polluted by rubbish and radioactive waste, and those sent there are tasked with cleaning up, eventually falling ill and dying slowly and painfully. Some regard being sent to the Colonies as a fate worse than death. Other punishments meted out to those who break Gilead's laws include the surgical removal/amputation of body parts e.g. fingers, hands and eyes.
Values and Beliefs[]
Gilead is a strict, totalitarian regime that bases its laws and customs around only a very literal, fundamentalist interpretation of the Christian Bible. Its leaders believe that their strict interpretation of the Bible is the absolute truth, and that in order for people to achieve salvation and live a pure, godly life, they must follow these. To do otherwise is seen as living in sin, and the guilty must either repent, or be put to death to prevent them from spreading their evil influence to others[citation needed].
Modesty and purity in all areas of life are greatly emphazised, particularly for women, who are believed to be more prone to weakness of character and sin[citation needed]. All citizens must follow only Gilead's own official version of Christianity. No other religion or belief system is tolerated; as Gilead rose to power, those of other faiths and of other Christian denominations were rounded up or forced to convert after a brief period of tolerance[4]. Jewish people were given the choice of converting, or leaving for Israel. It is implied in the novel that those who chose to leave were actually killed in secret[9]. It is stated that Gilead frequently raids and cracks down on Jews practicing in secret, confiscating Magen Davids, talliths, and the like.
Refugees from Gilead attempt escape to Canada or Europe, which are apparently still free societies with minimal influence from Gilead. Several "Save the Women" campaigns exist in England for former Handmaids who have managed to flee[9].
Media and Information[]
The media and the news are heavily censored, and often include propaganda to promote the ideals and values of Gilead, whilst demonizing their enemies[3]. As a result, it is difficult to obtain reliable information, like the actual Gileadean sphere of control[10].
To discourage women from reading and writing, public writings or names of any kind, like shop signs, are removed. Information is instead relayed by signs with pictures or pictograms[10].
Anything secular media is banned outright and anybody in possession of such items are punished severely, up to and including execution[citation needed].
Economy[]
Parts of Gilead's economy seems to be centered around slave labor—specifically its food sources (there is much mention of the "Agricultural Colonies" where prisoners are sent to do farm work)[4].
History[]
Origin[]
See also: President's Day Massacre, Provisional Government
The transformation of the U.S. democracy into the totalitarian dictatorship of Gilead is given by isolated events observed by individuals with limited background knowledge, so the actual political process behind these events remains vague and is left to the reader's estimation. For decades it seemed, birthrates among White societies and White Americans were in drastic decline. That, combined with a growing turmoil surrounding global warming, created fear and religious anxiety among many Americans. Many Americans, thus turned against the United States and plotted to overthrow the government. Other events give clues into life before Gilead. Pieixoto makes note of the fact that Gilead's racist policies were firmly rooted in the pre-Gilead period, so it can be suggested that before Gilead, hysteria surrounding the birthrates of White Americans gave way to rising racist sentiment across the country.
In the classroom Offred is in at the Red Center, she thinks the school the Handmaids are in closed after the mid-80s, as it wasn't uncommon for schools across the country to shut down due to few children. It can be surmised from that date, that the Republic of Gilead formed sometime in the 90s. The events of Global Warming also serve to catastrophize the public, as sometime during or before Gilead, the San Andreas fault is disturbed by a powerful earthquake which destroys the powerplants there and (possibly) is the origin of the Colonies. Offred also mentions how the fishing industry became defunct, and that the coastline is being "rested".
In "X Soul Scrolls", the narrator, Offred, recalls that after a group of terrorists had assassinated the U.S. President and machine-gunned members of Congress, the army declared a state of emergency, and a new emergency administration announced that "Everything is under control", blaming the attacks on "Islamic fanatics"[2].
The Takeover[]
Later, when this administration "temporarily" suspended the Constitution, a political activist suspected them to "have been building up to this", while the populace in majority seemed to approve the measures following, like roadblocks and censorships for "security reasons", since you "couldn't be too careful". The closing of pornomarts was greeted by "High time somebody did something"[2].
Then, in quick succession, bank accounts of female holders were frozen, and all employed women were fired from their jobs. Offred recalls that the entire coup happened so fast that the widespread emotion among the general population was bewilderment as a new paramilitary force systematically cleared women out of places of employment. There were a few protest marches at first, but when protests were quashed by this "new army" as soon as they even started, the population was too terrified to mount any further reaction[2].
Any sort of fashion, including makeup, fake fur, silk and the like are purged from city to city, as bond-fires are made with people dumbing these items en masse.
Early Gilead Period[]
The historical source known as The Handmaid's Tale is described as coming from the "Early Gilead Period".[9] Various events take place during this time. The National Homelands Genocide takes place, as African-Americans are brought to the Dakotas to farm and be left for dead. The Jewish Repatriation Scheme also takes place, as Jews are told they're being sent to Israel, only to be left to drown in the Atlantic Ocean.
The War is also taking place at many different locations. Detroit, the Appalachian Mountains, California, Texas and Florida are named as a few areas where the War takes place. While not named during a time, Manhattan has fought off Gilead, and the Grand Central Station is destroyed. During this time, most Sons of Jacob, those who directly caused the Fall of the United States, were in power during this time, although that would change as time went on.
Middle Gilead Period[]
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."[9] Most Sons of Jacob were also purged, and the Commanders during this period were not directly related to the original Sons of Jacob.
As Gilead progresses to the time of The Testaments, various changes occur. The Gilead National Homelands Genocide ends, as ethnic minorities are marched into North Dakota in wintertime into ghost towns with no supplies, many starving to death or escaping to Canada. The Pearl Girls are founded, a new category of Aunts that go abroad and convert foreigners to Gilead's religion. The four Founding Aunts, Lydia, Elizabeth, Helena, and Vidala now have a cult-like status among the women of Gilead, as well as Baby Nicole - who has been made into a legendary lost child, highlighting the possibility of betrayal in Gilead.
A peace deal is also signed with the Republic of Texas, and from there on any action against Gilead is deemed illegal within the new country. The War seemingly slows down during this time, but California is mentioned as being a place that never fell to Gilead, while also remaining at war with Gilead. Aunt Lydia mentions "disasters in Florida", possibly alluding to the fact that Florida never fell to Gilead either.
Given the timeline of the books, (Offred gives birth to Nichole, at most 7-8 years after Gilead being founded, and Nichole being 17-18 when the Testaments happen), suggests that the Middle Gilead period existed for a decade at most.
When Agnes and Nichole are traveling through New England, it was suggested that Gilead began to fade in popularity, as trade never thawed with Canada, so many areas in New England remained poorly funded and impovershed.
Late Gilead Period[]
The term "Middle Gilead Period" implies a "Late Gilead Period", which could've come into effect with the Ba'al Purge.
Aunt Lydia, working for years against Gilead, finally sees her work come to fruition. Keeping tabs on the worst secrets by Gilead elites, she keeps the information in a microdot and sends Nichole and Agnes to Canada, where the information is revealed to the Canadian News. What resulted was the Ba'al Purge, which thinned the rank of the Commanders and resulted in a putsch and a popular revolt.
This badly weakened Gilead's command structure to the extent that their own military staged a coup in an attempt to restore basic order, coinciding with a general uprising by Mayday resistance forces, as well as a concerted counter-attack by the remnant United States holdouts. Faced with these spiraling external and internal pressures, Gilead collapsed, and the United States was restored. [11]
A century after Gilead fell from power, it was the subject of historical studies in universities and symposiums.[9]. It can be suggested that the United States fell sometime before the 12th and 13th Symposiums, due to New England being populated and controlled by Indigenous communities.
Inspiration[]
As Margaret Atwood has explained in various interviews[citation needed], the "Sons of Jacob" and the "Republic of Gilead" they created, cynically don't actually believe in their own religious propaganda – almost every member of Gilead in a position of power, such as the Commanders, is at various points breaking their own rules, or expressing that they are simply using this as rhetoric. Atwood didn't conceive of Gilead as a Christian totalitarian regime, but a totalitarian fascist regime rising in the United States which happens to use some empty trappings of religion to justify itself[citation needed].
Atwood looked at the rise of various totalitarian fascist regimes throughout history and concluded that it always rises around some central trappings of national identity, and that in her estimation, the national character of the United States has always been shaped by religious movements. Similarly, Nazi Germany used trappings of past rhetoric about prior Germanic empires such as Charlemagne's Carolingian Empire and the pre-World War I German Empire or latched onto pre-existing European discrimination policies against disempowered groups (Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, left-wing/far-left Social Democrats and Communists, anti-Nazi Germans etc.) – but fundamentally, this was just a convenient scapegoat for what was at heart a hyper-nationalist junta that wanted to seize power for itself. Atwood tried to imagine what a totalitarian regime would look like if it took over the United States, and as the saying goes, "When fascism comes to America, it will come carrying a cross and draped in the Stars and Stripes." [12]
Atwood also said that Gilead was partially inspired by the Religious Right's reaction in the 1980s to the Women's Rights movements of the 1970s, during the Reagan years. Particularly, Atwood was reacting to large-scale but baseless propaganda being circulated by hard right-wing religious groups that abortion and contraception access was leading to a "white genocide," and that the birthrate among White Americans was sharply declining - despite the fact that there was no evidence to support this, and that census data proved it to be blatantly incorrect[citation needed].
Reference[]
- ↑ Novel, XII Jezebels, Section 32
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Novel, Section 28
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Novel, Section 14
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Novel, Section 38
- ↑ The Handmaid's Tale (Novel), section 5
- ↑ Novel, Section 3
- ↑ Novel, Section 15
- ↑ Novel, Section 4
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Novel, Historical Notes
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Novel, Section 5
- ↑ The Testaments, The Thirteenth Symposium
- ↑ It will be called Americanism': the US writers who imagined a fascist future. By Sarah Churchwell