Motifs

1. Eyes

1.1. The 'Eyes of God' are Gilead's secret police. both their names and logo, winged eye symbolises the eternal watchfulness of God and the totalitarian state. "Black painted van with the winged eye on the side." "Blind plaster eye on the ceiling."

2. The Moon

2.1. Associated with women's monthly cycle. "Every month there is moon, gigantic, round, heavy, an omen. it transits, pauses, continues on and passes out of sight and is see despair coming towards me like famine."

3. Mirrors

3.1. Mirrors reflect who we are without them our identity is lost. All of them are removed. So they can't be used as weapons. "round, convex, a pier-glass, like an eye of a fish and myself in it a distorted shadow a parody of something."

4. Cigarettes

4.1. Is a little rebellion, they are black market items and women can't buy them

4.2. When they denied the cigarettes its society telling them they have no right to their own bodies.

4.3. Serena makes a show of them and even bargains with them.

5. Neologism

5.1. Aspects of the society is made to look holy and unholy through the use of neologism terms such as "handmaids"

5.2. Neologism serves three purposes which reflect the significance of religion objectifying women and dividing them into different classes.

5.3. Jezebels is a prostitute in the bible that kills her children corruption. this reflects how the religious terms and stories are manipulated to suit the Gilead society.

6. Flowers

6.1. Flowers are a symbol of fertility given lots of attention and surround the house. flowers reproduce, bloom and constant reminders of the fertility that most women lack.

6.2. constant reminder for Serena Joy. Flowers can be linked to women's age, waiting or drying up.

6.3. Tulips represent offred because they bloom and are pretty. Blue iris represents the commanders wife.

6.4. Serena takes great pleasure in mutilating flowers perhaps wishing that she could do the same to offred as she is a constant reminder living in her house.

6.5. There are parallels between tulips and handmaids the images link in colour, function and death. Wine cups and chalices connect them to Christianity. chalice = open vessel and is compared to the womb (waiting to be filled to bear children. "think of yourselves as seeds" "to him I'm just a boat with no cargo a, chalice with no wine in it... to him I am not merely empty." 172/158