Handmaid's Tale: Etymology

The way characters are named in the society of The Handmaid's Tale tells a great deal about the characters' places in that society. The Martha's, the commanders, the Wives, the handmaids, the guardians, and the eyes are all symbolic of the roles each person under that name serves. The majority of the names are derived from biblical stories.

For example, Martha in the bible was a domestic woman who served Jesus while her sister Mary sat by idly. It's not a coincidence that Martha is also the name of the domestic servants in Gilead, who do all the work while the Wives pass the time with gossip and little exertion or effort. Cora and Rita, the Martha's in Offred's house, are required to do all the cooking and cleaning for a household full of capable people that just sit around.

Even the name of the society, Gilead, comes from a biblical passage. The passage is, ironically, referring to the place a man flees with his two wives and his two handmaids.

Another name meant to show ones place in Gilead was Aunt. The term aunt generally brings a person a familial happiness or at least a sense of security. However, the Aunts in Gilead were not a secure, safe group but rather the group that was meant to maintain security.

Obviously, Commanders are named so because they are meant to be in charge. Commander's Wives are simply supposed to be wives and nothing more. Handmaids aren't anything other than of their commanders, because that's their sole purpose in life. Guardians guard. Eyes watch. Un-women/babies/etc are meant not to exist. Jezebels are meant to emulate the evil temptress from the bible.

However, this creation of names based on positions in society almost backfired on Gilead. The handmaids get curious as to the real names of others. "We learned to whisper almost without sound. In the semi-darkness we could stretch our arms, when the aunts weren't looking, and touch each others' hands across space. We learned to lipread, our heads flat on the beds, turned sideways watching each other's mouths. In this way we exchanged names from bed to bed: Alma. Janine. Dolores. Moira. June"(Atwood 4). This passage, along with a few others, shows the curiousity induced in the women of Gilead by being denied the names of others. The lack of ability to identify oneself as an actual given name, and not the names of the commanders, forces secrecy amongst the unnamed women.

The Handmaid's Tale was my favorite read so far this year. The satirical writing, along with the varied allusions that one must be quick to pick up on, reeled me in from page one and kept me interested through the historical notes. The ending was especially well written and creative, finishing with an open ended possibilty. The historical notes at the end were something I've never read in a book before, and it added a touch that made it all the more realistic.