What are they digging in the colonies?

Emily and her fellow "unwomen" are supposedly removing the Colonies' radioactive soil so that Gilead can plant crops in the area — the idea is that removing pollution will help solve the fertility crisis — but their labor is just as much a solution as it is a political tool.

What are the colonies digging up in Handmaids Tale?

The Colonies are areas of North America that have been contaminated by pollution and radioactive waste. Gilead, using the system devised by Commander Joseph Lawrence, often sends women convicted of various crimes, known as Unwomen, to the Colonies, to punish them.

What causes infertility in The Handmaids Tale?

In the story, an environmental disaster has led to most women becoming infertile, and the small number who are still able to become pregnant are forced to become handmaids, women who are owned by the ruling elite and systematically raped in order to provide them with children.

Why was the wife sent to the colonies?

Mrs. O'Conner was sent to the Colonies, because she adulterated with another man and slept with him. Upon her arrival, she isn't welcomed by the other prisoners. While working in the fields, Emily talks to Mrs.

Where are the colonies supposed to be in Handmaids Tale?

The Colonies are located in what was once the American Midwest and Southwest. Gilead condemned criminals and "Unwomen" to slave labor on cleanup projects in the Colonies, which is essentially a death sentence.

Casting a Fire Ant Colony with Molten Aluminum (Cast #043)

How much of America is Gilead?

“Yes, Gilead has taken over the continental U.S., so all 48 states of the continental U.S.,” he said ahead of the season 2 finale. “There's lots of areas that are not nearly as well controlled as the Boston area, where the movement was very strong.”

What year is The Handmaid's Tale set in?

Setting. The novel is set in an indeterminate dystopian future, speculated to be around the year 2005, with a fundamentalist theonomy ruling the territory of what had been the United States but is now the Republic of Gilead.

Why are the wives in Gilead infertile?

But what's the cause? In The Handmaid's Tale, infertility is linked to another one of Gilead's prominent problems: pollution. As revealed in the season 1 episode "A Woman's Place," inorganic farming and radioactivity are to blame for declining fertility.

What was the poison in Handmaids Tale?

June returns to the rural Jezebel's disguised as a Martha with a solution including poisonous nightshade. She is almost caught off-guard by Aunt Wendy, but manages to disguise herself. The Jezebels serve poisonous liquor to the Commanders.

Did Emily poison the Wife?

It was poison. Emily punished the Wife for all the things Handmaids suffer while Wives look on. There was no sympathy in her face as the Wife died.

Why do the Wives wear green?

Crabtree said that the brownish green of the aunts' clothes is meant to convey a militaristic degree of authority, calling back to the military uniforms of World War I, while the dull, pale green of the Marthas is meant to evoke a sense that these women are "wither[ing] into their environment."

Can a Handmaid become a wife?

“They might actually become Wives if they stay on a track of loyalty.” The youngest members of Gilead, such as June's daughter, will eventually become Econowives or Wives, so long as they remain fertile and faithful. They'll be married off to working-class men at the young age of 14 or 15.

Who got Serena Joy pregnant?

In Gilead, Commander Fred Waterford and his wife Serena Joy had June as their Handmaid. As a Handmaid, it was one of June's duties to conceive for a seemingly infertile Serena.

Who created Gilead?

Gilead was conceived by a group called the Sons of Jacob, comprised of men and women united by the goal of "[wanting] to set things right [and] clean up this country," as an early member explained in the show.

What is no man's land in Handmaid's Tale?

No Man's Land is apparently a place where neither Canada nor Gilead maintains a presence, exerts authority, or takes ownership over land that stretches anywhere from a few hundred yards to miles.

What is a gender traitor in Handmaid's Tale?

In Gilead, a 'gender traitor' is anyone who departs in any way from the strict definitions of sex and sexuality. Such people were hanged or worked to death, in this terrifying dystopia.

Why did JUNE say give me 5 minutes?

Just give me five minutes with her [Nichole] and then I'll go,” she has potentially risked her freedom in order to further her war on the fascist regime of Gilead. Bruce Miller, the creator and showrunner, explains: She says, “I need five minutes” — she's five minutes from a reckoning.

Why did June rat out the Handmaids?

The escaped handmaids, who could have easily left her for dead after she was shot in the field, but instead found shelter and nursed her back to health? She rats them out to (literally) save her own skin.

Why did Nick capture June?

According to Screen Rant, one of the reasons why Nick captured June in the latest season is that he does not want to compromise his position as Commander. He is doing everything he can, but his help is limited. Some people speculate that he secretly planned for her to flee the bus to the Magdalene colony.

What happens if a handmaid can't get pregnant?

If, after the third time, they are not able to produce a living, healthy baby, they will be sent off to the Colonies to face certain death. Handmaids that become infertile or reach a certain age without having ever conceived are also sent to the Colonies, as are women who refuse to become Handmaids.

What does Blessed be the fruit mean?

In Margaret Atwood's „The Handmaid's Tale“, „Blessed be the Fruit“ is a form of greeting between the people of the Republic of Gilead. This encourages fertility in a society where women with healthy reproductive system must produce children for the ruling class of men „Commanders“.

What is an Unbaby?

Unbaby, or shredder, is the term used in the Republic of Gilead to describe infants that are suffering from birth defects or physical deformities. These die shortly after birth due to their defects. They are usually taken away to be disposed of.

What religion is Handmaid's Tale based on?

The rise of the Christian right in "The Handmaid's Tale" draws from American history. To depict the authoritative world run by the extremely religious right in "The Handmaid's Tale," Atwood drew upon history — mainly, 17th-century Puritan theocracy in America and the political climate of the country in the early 1980s.

Did Handmaid's really exist?

The Handmaid's Tale is NOT based on a true story. The drama is science fiction, set in a dystopian future where a totalitarian regime has overthrown the US government and created the Republic of Gilead. But the show, based on Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of the same name, is inspired by religious and political history.

What is a handmaid in the Bible?

Depictions in Abrahamic texts

In the King James translation of the Hebrew Bible, the term handmaid is applied to a female servant who serves her mistress, as in the case of Hagar being described as Sarai's handmaid, Zilpah being Leah's handmaid and Bilhah as Rachel's handmaid.