Comparing The Paradox Of Religion In The Handmaid's Tale

The Paradox of Religion in The Handmaid’s Tale and Children of Men

Traditionally, religion is supposed to provide hope, purpose, and structure to life but often it is too easily taken out of context and manipulated to justify selfish actions that bring harm and oppression. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men both use religious references, specifically Christian symbolism, to further their plot in diverse ways. There are similarities in both works as they are set in dystopian societies where infertility has become the source of humanities destruction, however, the varying uses of religion brings about contrasting plots. Although there is heavy Christian symbolism in both works, The Handmaid’s Tale uses

religion to justify abusive power and restrictive control of society while Children of Men uses religion to project a slight sense of hope for humanity as it mirrors parts of the biblical gospel story of a savior coming to rescue the world.
As the democracy of the United States has been taken over by totalitarian theocracy, the repression of women’s freedom, and society as a whole, quickly becomes apparent early in the The Handmaid’s Tale. Those in charge of the Republic of Gilead, the Commanders, hide behind the manipulation of Christianity to abuse power over society and structure life the way they see fit. There is no longer any freedom of choice or separation of church and state as “the Republic of Gilead, said Aunt Lydia, knows no bounds. Gilead is within you” (Atwood, 23). The extremists who have taken over insist that they act on the authority of the Bible and it is their responsibility to keep to its commands in order to renew humanity. On the most obvious and general level of interpretation, the naming of people and objects in the novel are biblically rooted. The Commanders of the Faithful, Guardians of Faith, Eyes of the Lord, Marthas, Loaves and Fishes, and the Rachel and Leah Center are all examples of religious symbolism in the text but even Gilead has scriptural significance that runs deeper. Gilead in the Old Testament is a very fertile and desirable region in ancient Palestine, and ironically in the novel it represents the complete opposite as infertility is a pressing issue that gives the main character her function as a Handmaid (Real). This further proves the republics attempt to twist scripture in order to appear pure and promote godliness when in reality the heart of the society is corrupt and neglects verses such as, “Gilead is a city of wicked men, stained with footprints of blood” (Hosea, 6.8). Describing characters, business, and positions with religious terminology camouflages the selfish political agendas and corrupt power of the leaders. Specific parts of the Bible have been carefully selected to justify the new laws made such as implementing Handmaids for barren women, taming of the tongue, and using certain prayers and passages to further the ideology of the Republic. Ironically, the very tool used to structure society, the Bible, “is kept locked up, the way people once kept tea locked up, so the servants wouldn’t steal it. It is an incendiary device: who knows what we’d make of it, if we ever got our hands on it? We can be read to from it, by him, but we cannot read” (Atwood, 87). It is against the law for women to read and form their own ideas and interpretations of the text. Atwood employs this idea of restriction to the Bible from history as the scriptures were originally written in ancient Hebrew and it was not until the Protestant Reformation that the Bible was translated to other vernacular so that more people could read it for themselves. This act of repression by the law is an attempt to maintain control and authority over society and it allows authorities to take scripture out of context and twist it to fit their own agendas. Manipulation of the scripture is a recurrent theme throughout the novel that permits for the emotional and physical abuse of citizens. Women are taught to be submissive in every way even to the point of making them think that sexual abuse is their fault. At the Red Center one of the Handmaid’s in training is forced to make public the rape she endured as a young girl and in response the Aunts pose the question, “Why did God allow such terrible things to happen?” The audience of girls who are in the process of being brainwashed are taught to reply, “Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson” which stimulates the thinking that they are responsible for the sexual acts and abuse of their past. As the Aunts drill this new way of submissive thinking into their heads, Janine the one confessing at the time, changes her response to, “It was my fault. It was my own fault. I led them on. I deserved the pain” (Atwood, 72). Again, another example of abusive power made acceptable by an interpretation of scripture. In this new society that has emerged, Christianity is an agent used to abuse power, maintain control and justify selfish actions. The Handmaid’s Tale uses religious symbolism as a guise of harmony covering the destructive system of injustice in place, which contrasts with the use of religion in Children of Men as a means of hope.
Children of Men too utilizes strong religious symbolism, predominately Christian in the film, but in a contrasting way to that of The Handmaid’s Tale.

Instead of blatantly using religion to misuse authority in an attempt to restore humanity, religion is used as a glimpse of hope for mankind in Children of Men. In a world that has fallen to destruction and chaos, an apocalyptic setting, a savior is born. There are attributes of the main characters in the film that share similar traits to biblical characters such as Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Theo the main character, although an anti-hero, serves somewhat as a Christ figure as there are undeniable similarities between them. For instance, the name Theo has a divine origin indicating God but there are more in depth examples of his representation of Jesus such as animals’ attraction to him, his wounds and being an agent of salvation. Scripture claims Jesus as a shepherd of the flock and similarly Theo takes the role of a shepherd over Kee as he attempts to guide her to safety. Once he finds out that the Fishes were responsible for Julian’s death he awakes Kee and warns her, “That was Patric on the motorcycle. I'm getting the hell out of here. I suggest you come with me” (Children, 61). Although he is somewhat apathetic and by no means a selfless hero, Theo makes the effort to rescue Kee and bring her to safety much like the scriptures speak of Jesus watching over his flock and keeping them safe from harm. Not to mention, there

is a recurring theme of animals being drawn to him in general throughout the film just as Jesus is connected to animals so much so that he is referred to as the Lamb of God. The wound Theo receives at the end of the film has significance too as Theo exclaims, “I’m okay. Bullet went through” however, it draws blood from his side further symbolizing his correlation to Jesus as he was pierced with a spear in the side during his last moments (Children, 121). These similarities between Theo and Jesus present a sense of hope that because Jesus is a figure of salvation perhaps Theo will step into a savior role as well. There is also significant religious symbolism painting Kee as the Virgin Mary due to her carrying the hope of humanity within her, a miracle child. When Theo inquires about the father Kee responds, “Father? That what you wanna know?…Whiffet I’m a virgin” which is an ironic joke due to her situation and the correlation it holds to Mary mother of Jesus (Children, 79). The mother of Jesus is said to have been a virgin and although Kee is being sarcastic her remarks further the comparison to the story of Jesus being born of a virgin to save humanity from themselves. The connection between the main characters in the film and the biblical characters of the gospel are obvious and are important in understanding the message of the story. Mankind is responsible for the destruction of the earth and is in need of saving, however, Cuarón is making the comparison to the gospel not for the purpose of promoting Christianity but to highlight the need for humanity to save themselves. As Children of Men adopts characteristics of the gospel it infuses the plot with a slight sense of hope for mankind. The world is in a state of chaos and there is not a clear ending to what becomes of humanity, but the religious symbolism positively instills an underlying sense that the world will somehow be restored through the ability of man.
Despite the contrasting uses of religious symbolism within The Handmaid’s Tale and Children of Men there are indeed similarities between the two works.

Both are futuristic and exist in a dystopian world where the main characters are dissatisfied with their lives. Although the society pictured in Children of Men appears to be in a more chaotic state, the same underlying issue of infertility is of the utmost concern in both and serves as the catalyst of change that has occurred. Religion is a connecting force between the works as each uses symbols and references to Christianity to further the plot, just in different ways. It is reasonable to assume that the society painted in The Handmaid’s Tale while seemingly clinging to order is not all that different from the chaotic state of Children of Men, they just focus their attention more on masking injustice with religion. Both civilizations face an uncertain future with the existence of humanity in peril and religion is used as either a propellant of true hope or a false

security.
Atwood utilizes religion in the novel as a blanket to justify the abuse of power. This is not a new thought; in fact throughout history people have hidden their own personal, destructive, and often times political agendas behind religion. The Crusades is a perfect example of man justifying his actions by taking religion out of context and using it to further his own selfish desires. Her application of religion in The Handmaid’s Tale requires the reader to think critically about the dangers religion can present if misused. Her writing raises tough questions about religion, humanity and how they connect. Cuarón on the other hand implements religious symbolism into Children of Men as a means to instill a slight hope in what appears to be a hopeless world. The salvation story of Jesus is generally known, despite one’s personal religion, and is perceivable as a story of hope for humanity. Whether one practices Christianity or not, it is notable that the character of Jesus within the Bible is intended to be one who heals and brings life. Due to the prevalent exposure of the gospel, religious symbolism is easily identifiable in Children of Men and therefore allows the reader to make connections that instill a slight sense of hope. Although Cuarón uses religious symbolism in his film the focus is on humans more than the divine. In particular ways Children of Men mirrors the salvation story of Jesus except humanity is saving themselves, as it is humanity that has destroyed the earth and ultimately humanity that has the power to restore it. The Handmaid’s Tale and Children of Men both have religious symbolism yet its purpose within each work differs as Atwood applies it as a device of manipulation, justification, and control while Cuarón contrastingly uses religion to project a slight sense of hope for humanity as it mirrors parts of the biblical gospel story of a savior coming to rescue the world.