Indoctrination essay

“There is more than one kind of freedom ….. freedom to and freedom from” is the way Aunt
Lydia justifies the subjugation of women to the point of sexual slavery and how she accounts
for the manner in which they are indoctrinated in a psychologically-damaging manner. She
argues that the extreme Christian government policies are simply there to protect and keep
them out of harm’s way.

The society of Gilead is embedded and sustained by false doctrine in which women are not
regarded as people but rather tools, supposedly for the collective good, however, in truth it is
patently an excuse to bolster the male elites. Females retain little to no freedom as
essentially they are possessions of the male commanders. This is suggested by the way in
which they are referred to, “Offred “, “Of Glen”, “Of Warren”; devices which further strip the
Handmaids from their names and their individual identities in a profuse manner. As a matter
of fact, the Handmaids have one sole function, that of being implements for reproduction to
replenish the population of Gilead. This is further elucidated through the attire that women in
different social classes have to wear, for instance, the Handmaids themselves were restricted
to the colour red as “red” is “ The colour which defines [them]”. The correlation between the
colour red and the Handmaids is solely based on the fact that it represents the menstruation
cycle which is ultimately what everything boils down to. Imposition is made so that they
detach from their own bodies ,so much so, that Offred calls herself and akin individuals “two-
legged wombs” further giving the impression that their existence is merely focused on
childbearing. According to the Republic of Gilead women who are not viable in terms of
reproduction are not women at all. They also emphasise the fact that this is the mode in
which a woman can salvage herself from sin.

The Christian religion and the bible is supposedly what aids the authorities of Gilead to form
the society itself, though in reality, affirmations from the bible are contorted and cherry-
picked in such a way that exploits the real message or meaning of the bible itself. With
reference to the bible, shops are called names such as the “Lily of the Fields” used to
manipulate Gilead’s subjects. The quotations are generally derived from the archaic
testament and thus women have to endure the incessant exposure to the book of Genesis
which views women as property of men, hence the line in prayer ‘Let the women learn in
silence with all subjection” which is read out exclusively by the Commander. It is of utmost
importance to note that women were not allowed to read, write , sing or express themselves in
the way in which they desired. This contributes to the repressed and revoked mechanism on
which the society was based on. Moreover, the oppression imposed in the regime extends to
the degree that even women are deluded into complying to the oppressive tendencies such as
the Aunts. This is where the red centre or rather the indoctrination centre comes in. The
place in which women are taken to, amplifying in its indoctrination which would
eventually lead to the reintegration of the Handmaids in the new society and coercing them
into believing that this is way forward.
It is obvious that such a regime would come with rules as does The Republic of Gilead. At a
certain point throughout the novel we encounter a couple of deviants hung with their illicit
affair conspicuously visible for everyone to see. Offred describes them as “scarecrows …
since they are meant to scare.” Additionally, doctors who had performed abortions have been
executed and their atrocities are used to exemplify what other must not do. The inculcation at
the red centre went so deep that even those who were not against abortion are made to
believe that reproduction is the basis of life. This is poignant as it illustrates the way the
lessons and the values were internalized to the degree that they were reinforced by the
Handmaids themselves. Although, Offred is most definitely against the regime, ironically, the
language she uses to narrate is the one practised in the republic of Gilead, one which is male
dominated. This limits her position in Gilead as in a way she is oppressing herself with the
language she uses.

It is plain to see that Gilead is indeed a dystopian nightmare, it has hoarded a variety of tools
such as religion, propaganda and more in order to indoctrinate , submiss and dominate the
women populace.