Handmaids Tale

The aim of the indoctrination centres is clearly shown by the quote: "Some women believed there would be no future, they thought the world would explode. That was the excuse they used, says Aunt Lydia. They said there was no sense in breeding. Aunt Lydia's nostrils narrow: such wickedness. They were lazy women, she says. They were sluts. . . . They made mistakes, says Aunt Lydia. We don't intend to repeat them. Her voice is pious, condescending, the voice of those whose duty it is to tell us unpleasant things for our own good. . . . All of us here will lick you into shape, says Aunt Lydia, with satisfied cheer." Women that have passed their menopause or are infertile called ‘Aunts’ were chosen to train the Handmaids since, being women, they would be more trusted by the Handmaids.

The Aunts try to convince the Handmaids that society as they now know it is much better than before. They argue that "Women were not protected then Women lived by an unwritten set of rules:" such as "Don't open your door to a stranger" or "Don't stop on the road to help a motorist pretending to be in trouble" Now, in Gilead, women can go along the street in safety Aunt Lydia rationalises these changes as the difference between “freedom from” and “freedom to”: “In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don't underrate it”

Aunt Lydia is depicted as being mildly psychotic, but the "freedom from" that she offers seems oftentimes almost soothing. To be free of fear of rape would be a wonderful thing. To force men to act respectful seems not too bad. We can observe this attitude on our own campus, where the student government holds a "nightwalk" every few years. On these walks, dangerous areas are marked out and reported to the Physical Plant and the campus police. In response, bushes and trees next to walkways are demolished to discourage possible attackers who might conceal themselves in them. More halogen lamps are installed. More foot patrol officers walk potential problem spots. Every year the campus looks less like a university and more like an armed camp, but we accept these ugly alterations on our environment in the name of safety. It doesn't seem like such a high price to pay.

The Handmaid's Tale Character Study - Aunt Lydia In the Republic of Gilead, Aunt Lydia works in the Red Centre as one of the crack female control agents known as the "Aunts".