Community in a Totalitarian Regime

The struggle for power remains present in everyday life. When one person or group gains

power, it comes at the expense of another. Governments seek to maintain dominance over its

citizens so that it can operate smoothly. However, if the government holds onto its authority too

tightly, then an individuals power diminishes. In The Handmaids Tale, the protagonist, Offred,

struggles to cope in a newly formed totalitarian theocracy. Every aspect of her life remains

controlled by the government. Throughout Margaret Atwoods novel, the regime utilizes its

power to inflict psychological weapons in order to divide and subdue citizens, reinforcing the

idea that without a united group, an individual can make little difference.

The government in the novel constantly uses the threat of violence to maintain power,

suggesting that fear can coerce people who lack the support of a community into remaining

submissive. For example, as Offred walks back from the market, she encounters a wall where

there are six more bodies hanging (32). By putting the bodies on display, the regime provides a

silent threat to those wanting to betray the government. The mystery of the identities of the

bodies strips each of the victims of their individuality as a person, therefore demeaning them.

They also force onlookers to wonder if their loved ones from their past lives hang there,

suppressing any possible hope of a return to the past. This also makes them feel alone because

they have no one left in their lives that they truly love. In addition, after Offred pretends to go to

sleep, she sneaks out of her room, wanting to steal something, stating, I am doing something, on

my own (97). By attempting to steal, Offred demonstrates her desire to have control over some

aspect of her life and to rebel. By taking a flower, which is a physical object, she rejects the

regimes dismissal of materialism. However, she chooses something so insignificant, a dried-up

daffodil, that no one even realizes its disappearance. Therefore, this theft makes no significant

change in her life. This exhibits that her small actions make no difference, and in the end, do not

give her any power when she acts alone.

In order to reinforce the concept that without the provision of a community that supports

free discussion people cannot speak their mind, the government also uses its power to withhold

knowledge and influence the citizens. For instance, the society uses greetings, such as Blessed

be the fruit (19). By exchanging traditional greetings for phrases found in the Bible, the regime

forces its religion on its people. In addition, this phrase references the societys emphasis on

women as nothing more than objects that produce children. This greeting supposedly represents

the hope that the Handmaid is pregnant. However, even though it models the labels of jobs and

greetings after the Bible, a large part of the Handmaids only pretend to believe, showing that a

totalitarian government does not have complete control over people. While a small flame of

individual opinions remain, the refusal to voice them in an effort to find others to help combat

the oppression will not allow the society to evolve past its current conditions. As a result of the

lack of community, the government remains able to suppress its people since no one willingly

offers opinions that would result in punishment. Moreover, the government bans songs, such as

Amazing Grace because its lyrics include words, such as freedom (54). Allowing this song

would remind people of what they are missing. So by banning it, they put the society into a state

of ignorance. Without the realization by the overall society that they need to fight for something,

the citizens remain divided because only a small amount people remember what they once had.

On the other hand, when giving knowledge of a resistance group, Ofglen reveals to Offred that

Theres a password[...] so you can tell[...] who is and who isnt (202). The password,
Mayday, serves a uniting sign for the resistance to the regime. The subversives create a

network in which they discuss and plan how to overcome the oppression. The group promotes

freedom, which lacks in the current society. At the end of the novel, during the proceedings of

the Twelfth Symposium on Gileadean Studies, the speakers reveal that as a result of the rebels

network, the government of Gilead was eventually overthrown. By discussing the past and

Gileads problems, the new governments open dialogue serves to prevent something similar

from happening again. Therefore, in order to guarantee equality and justice, a society must

provide the right to free speech.

The hierarchy between women serves to strengthen the governments power, supporting

that dividing of a community results in an easily-suppressible population. For example, the

regime splits the jobs in a household between multiple women and as a result, they all envy

each other something (47). By creating divisions between women, the women remain unwilling

to work with each other, therefore removing any hope of conquering the oppressive government.

Instead of being able to perform what tasks they like, the government forces them to perform

certain activities, regardless of whether they want to do it. Therefore they take away free will. In

addition, when in the Red Center, the Aunts warn, Its not the husbands you have to watch out

for[...] its the wives (46). The wives enjoy a life that allows them luxuries. They have little

control as women, so they use whatever control they have in their household to exercise power

over the Marthas and the Handmaids. The wives naturally resent the Handmaids because the

Handmaids remain able to produce what society values most, which is children. In return, the

Handmaids despise the wives because they have certain rights that remain unavailable to them.

The Marthas also resent the Handmaids because the Marthas have to take care of the Handmaids,
even though they do not always produce a child. As a result of this division, the most of the

women remain unable to unite in order to gain rights for the collective group.

Overall, the totalitarian theocracy utilizes a variety of tactics, such as inspiring fear,

controlling knowledge, and creating a hierarchy between women, to maintain power. Offred

alone remains unable to resist the government. She does little by herself to actively rebel. She

relies on others instead for help to save her. At the end of the novel, through the relief by the

resistance group, Offred escapes from the Commanders house and from a possible punishment,

demonstrating the value of having a community that looks out for its members. Only when the

group of Handmaids join together does the possibility of regaining power become a reality.

Therefore, the impact of a group always remains greater than the impact one can make by

oneself. Working together provides the opportunity for change and evolution within society.