The Color Red In The Handmaid's Tale

When a society is faced with problems, leaders seek ways to change for the better. As a result of an increase in birth control, abortions, AIDS and other reasons causing prenatal complications, the birth rate in Gilead was declining. The citizens with high power decided to establish a new society to help resolve this problem by introducing a system that utilizes fertile women to increase the birth rate back to normal. In Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, the color red signifies many different ways in which a change in society can control a person’s actions, however, can not fully control the way in which the individual thinks.

Everyone has a role in society, however, that is not what defines their personality. When the new society

in Gilead was created, all of the women were assigned different colored dresses, to distinguish among the roles.

The Wives wore blue, the Marthas wore green, and the Handmaids wore red. This color coordination also identified the power that the women had, leaving the Handmaids with the least amount. As a Handmaid, Offred described her outift, “Everything except the wings around my face is red: the color of blood, which defines us” (Atwood 8). By saying that blood defines the Handmaids, the red symbolizes their fertility, as they are the women that still have a menstrual cycle and have the ability to be impregnated. This feature reveals their duty to get pregnant by the commander in order for the wife to have a baby. As the Handmaids do not appreciate their lack of power, they continue to abide by the new rules to avoid future consequences, which are being hung in front of many towns people or sent to the colony, however, many are guilty of minor infractions. During one of Offred’s shopping trips, she saw Ofglen, another Handmaid, and described her as “a shape, red with white wings around the face, a shape like mine, a nondescript woman in red carrying a basket” (Atwood 19). Handmaids are stripped of their identity and seen as a group, instead of individuals, portraying their inferiority. This description of Ofglen symbolizes the responsibility of the Handmaids to carry a baby

in their stomach. In actuality, they do have individual personalities, but they simply can not express them when around people of higher power, however, when the handmaids are alone together they have the ability to talk informally, as long as they do not get caught. Offred and Ofglen enjoyed their small conversations because it allowed for them to feel like their life was back to normal and that their feelings were accounted for. These conversations had to be performed stealthily, as they are breaking the rules. Being stripped of everything is easier to cope with if there is a person to confer with that is going through the same situation.
Everyone must work together for a society to prosper. In order for Gilead to be a Utopian society, it is believed that the individual must follow the rules and perform their duty in society. The Eyes enforce these beliefs through banning the traitors to the colonies or using execution. Flowers are common throughout Gilead within gardens, pictures, or vases around the house. In the household, the Wives are the ones who take care of the garden, which is large and full of flowers. Serena Joy, the Wife that Offred works for, has a garden that is full of tulips that “are red, a darker crimson towards the stem, as if they have been cut and are beginning to heal” (Atwood 12). The red tulips represent the Handmaids by illustrating how they were cut from their old lives, being stripped all of their power and freedom, and placed into a new life that they will quickly have to adjust to. When a flower is cut from a garden and placed in the house, they are beautiful, but after a few days, they begin to die and are thrown away. Similarly, Handmaids are cherished when the Commander and Wife first receive them, but once they serve their purpose of giving birth to a baby, they are considered worthless and are ‘disposed of’. Even though they lost some of the most valuable assets, eventually they will ‘heal’ by accepting the new rules, however, they will never forget their old lives. The Handmaids follow the same beliefs and ways of thinking, they just can not act on them. Throughout the novel, Offred had many flashbacks of her family when she was alone, either in the bathtub or in her room, and wished to be reconnected with them. One can not be expected to change their entire life around and forget about their old ways.
A person’s personality and individual characteristics are important in defining the person.

When a Handmaid is assigned to a Commander and Wife, her name is changed so that she can be identified as property of the Commander, instead of an independent person. Not only can Offred’s name be read as ‘Of-Fred’, where Fred is her Commander, but also as ‘Off-Red’, suggesting that she does not fully agree with the new society. When Serena Joy offered to help her get pregnant, by someone other than the Commander, she was hesitant to accept. “It’s my life on the line; but that’s where it will be sooner or later, one way or another, whether I do or don’t…’Alright,’ I say” (Atwood 206). Offred’s hesitation displays her forced loyalty to the society because she knows that if anyone finds out about what she did, she could be executed. Simultaneously, if a Handmaid does not get pregnant, they are considered at fault, because it is not believed that men can be sterile anymore, and will be sent to the colonies. Serena Joy believes that her husband can no longer produce a baby, so in a way, Offred is still conducting her duty to have a baby for the Wife. Handmaids are expected to do what is best for the Commander and Wife, but at this point in time, she is mainly worried about her future if she does not have a baby and is willing to participate in any act that will give her the best possible outcome. While Serena Joy and Offred secretly engage in this infraction, they continue acting normal

around the Commander and other people in the house so that no one discovers what they are up to. This affair makes Offred come to the realization that she misses love and affection, however, that is no longer permitted with Handmaids. As Offred does not adhere to all of the rules, she remains submissive to her Commander and Wife.
By examining the color red and its’ many different symbols, Margaret Atwood emphasizes that a person’s thoughts can not be controlled by society, however, their actions can. Many of the symbols relate back to the Handmaids, as they are the ones whose lives were affected the most. No one would fully commit to a situation if it meant that they had to be stripped of their individuality and freedom, as these are important aspects to a person’s life.