A figurehead or concept is worshipped
Citizens are made to believe that they are under constant surveillance
Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted
Strict conformity is expected from the citizens => Individuality and dissent are bad
Disobedience is severely punished
Citizens live in a dehumanized state
Citizens have a fear of the outside world
Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society, it is meant to scare them
The society is an illusion of a perfect utopia
In Gilead, women are not perceived as human beings, but as objects, bodies that are property of the state and of their commanders.
The citizens in Gilead are told that the outside world is one big war zone. Only Gilead is safe.
The women in Gilead are shown documentaries of the old days when women were raped and murdered. (Possibly fake) They are taught to be grateful: “Consider the alternatives, said Aunt Lydia. You see what things used to be like? That was what they thought of women, then” (128).
In Gilead people who break the rules are executed publicly: ex. “Salvaging”.
Gilead is a patriarchal theocracy; they worship Scripture, God and a system in which men are superior.
- The news that the citizens of Gilead receive is censored: “They only show us victories, never defeats. Who wants bad news?” (93). - The women in Gilead are not allowed to read and write.
The powerful in Gilead will never admit that their system is wrong or that the people in it are treated badly; they will insist on the perfect nature of their system.
All handmaids have to look the same and act the same. They wear only red dresses, red shoes and white caps, which show who they are and what their duties are. They are no longer allowed to have their own names.
In Gilead there are “Eyes” (28), nobody knows who they are, but anyone can be an Eye, so they can always be watched.
