The Handmaid’s Tale Freedom To and Freedom From

The Handmaid’s Tale Freedom To and Freedom From

In “the time before”, Gilead had become a place where “women were not

protected”. Gilead was very unsafe and percussions had to be taken.

For example women were told not to open their door to a stranger even

if they said it was the police (ID’s had to be slid underneath the

door), they were told not to stop and help a motorist ‘pretending’ to

be in trouble and not to “go into a laundromat at night, alone.”

This shows that the society of Gilead as a whole had become very

cautious. This also proves that in some sense Gilead was in danger

from its security.

From these facts alone it is understandable to see why Gilead chose to

enforce a new regime.

It may have been thought that in doing so everyone would benefit form

a safer society. This much is true. In some sense, women especially,

as Aunt Lydia said have been “given freedom from”. Freedom from all

the bad aspects from the time before. Women no longer had to be afraid

for their safety, rape was no more and they were free to walk the

streets without being hassled, as they were now protected by the

“eyes” that watched over them.

In doing so however their freedom to, had been taken away from them.

“In the days of the anarchy” says Aunt Lydia; “it was freedom to” do

what as one pleased, now in Gilead, this kind of freedom was no more.

They weren’t allowed any form of independence. Jobs were taken away,

money confiscate and so forth.

Depending on which perspective you look at it from, different people

have benefited from the change in freedoms.

In Gilead now, there is a hierarchy of structure. Everyone has a

defined role to play in society; they know their place and wouldn’t

question it.

At the top of the hierarchy are the commanders, right at the bottom

are the handmaid’s, and the others such as a the commanders wives,

Martha’s, and guards fall in place somewhere in between the two.

Looking at the hierarchy, it is obvious to see that it is the

commanders who benefits from Gilead’s freedom. They hold the most

status within the society. It is this status which segregates the

commanders from others in this society, especially from the

Handmaid’s.

Whereas the commanders have the power to do as they please when they

please, the Handmaid’s lives are ran by various rules and regulations

that they are forced to keep to. They are not given the freedom to do

as they like. They are put into place to perform a service and it is