In the dystopian society of Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale, the role and rights of Handmaids are severely restricted. Handmaids are assigned to Commanders to bear children for them and their barren Wives. They have no autonomy and are required to participate in a monthly ceremony with their Commander in hopes of achieving pregnancy. Due to their role solely as reproductive vessels in this society, marrying a Handmaid would be highly uncommon and taboo. However, the rules around relationships and ceremonies in Gilead are complex, so the possibility likely exists under rare circumstances.
What is the role of Handmaids in Gilead?
Handmaids are young, fertile women who have been forced into service as surrogate mothers for the powerful Commanders and their Wives. Their role is purely functional – they are there to bear children. Most Handmaids are unwilling participants in this system, having been forced or coerced into the role.
In the highly structured and regimented society of Gilead, Handmaids have almost no autonomy or personal rights. Their lives are completely circumscribed by the rules of Gilead. They are unable to work, own property, read, write, or communicate freely. Their only purpose is to participate in a monthly breeding “ceremony” with their assigned Commander in hopes of becoming pregnant and delivering a baby for him and his Wife.
What are the rules around relationships in Gilead?
Gilead imposes strict rules and severe punishments regarding relationships and sexuality. The society is built on specific gender roles and traditional values.
Within this system, the only sanctioned marital relationships allowed are those between Commanders and their Wives. Commanders participate in state-ordered non-consensual sex rituals with their assigned Handmaids in efforts to reproduce. Wives are expected to tolerate this arrangement.
Relationships, including marriage, between people of any other combination – such as between Handmaids, or between Handmaids and non-Commanders – would be entirely forbidden. Gilead’s rules aim to restrict all sexuality to within the bounds of hierarchical, reproductive relationships.
Would a Commander be allowed to marry a Handmaid?
It would be extremely unlikely for a Commander to marry a Handmaid.
The role of the Handmaid is strictly defined as a surrogate reproductive vessel for a Commander and his Wife. They are not seen as having any other status or value in society.
For a Commander to marry a Handmaid would conflict with Gilead’s core beliefs and rules about sanctioned relationships. It could also undermine the Ceremony system by giving a Handmaid an equal status to a Wife.
However, Gilead is an authoritarian regime built around exceptions and hypocrisies. Some rare allowances are made for those with power. So there is a slim possibility a very highly ranked Commander could be granted special dispensation to take a Handmaid as a wife. But it would be uncommon.
What types of marriages are allowed in Gilead?
Only a small number of strictly sanctioned marital relationships are permitted:
- Between Commanders and Wives – This is the standard marital arrangement among the elite. Wives are expected to tolerate Commanders also having sex with Handmaids at Ceremonies.
- Between Econopeople – The working class are permitted conventional marriages with spouses of the opposite sex.
- Arranged marriage for adolescents – Girls are married off at a young age to start reproducing.
Any other romantic or sexual relationships outside these bounds are forbidden. Gay marriage is outlawed. Handmaids and Martha domestic servants are not allowed to marry. Divorce is prohibited except in rare cases where it serves Gilead’s interests.
Could a Handmaid marry someone other than a Commander?
It is very unlikely a Handmaid could marry anyone at all. Their role in society is strictly defined as reproductive servants to Commanders and Wives. They are not seen as eligible for actual marriage.
The only exception might be if a Handmaid is dismissed from service after failure to conceive after years of Ceremonies. If she has proven infertile, Gilead has no more use for her as a Handmaid.
In rare cases, an infertile Handmaid might then be allowed to marry an Econoperson man. This would limit her role in society and prevent her from forming subversive relationships. But generally, most infertile Handmaids are sent to waste colonies instead.
What ceremonies and rituals exist involving Handmaids?
The main ceremonies and rituals Handmaids must participate in are:
Ceremony – The monthly breeding ritual where the Handmaid has sex with her Commander while the Wife sits behind her. This is meant to result in pregnancy.
Birth Day – When a Handmaid gives birth, Wives organize a party and celebration for the child called Birth Day. The Handmaid herself is largely ignored.
Salvagings and Particicutions – Handmaids are forced to participate in public executions of convicted criminals and gender traitors, during which they collectively stone or beat the offenders. This reinforces their complicity in the system.
Prayvaganzas – Mass wedding ceremonies in which large numbers of young girls are married off to Gilead loyalists to bear children. Handmaids serve as ceremonial witnesses.
Red Center graduation – Graduation ceremony from the Handmaid training program, where Handmaids receive their white wings and red cloaks/veils signifying their readiness for service.
What are the penalties for prohibited relationships in Gilead?
Gilead harshly punishes any prohibited relationship or sexual activity with severe consequences:
- Death by hanging – For gender traitors and homosexuals.
- Body mutilation – Criminal offenders like adulterers may have an eye gouged out or a hand amputated.
- Exile to Colonies – Forbidden relationships can result in banishment to the toxic wasteland Colonies where life expectancy is short.
- Imprisonment – Temporary holding cells exist for those awaiting sentencing.
- Re-education – Wives who commit adultery may be sent to a facility to reform and rehabilitate.
Handmaids who engage in prohibited relationships risk the harshest punishments, including death by hanging on the Wall. Gilead’s penalties serve to terrorize people into obedience.
Conclusion
In the Republic of Gilead, Handmaids occupy the lowest rung of society as reproductive servants to the elite. Their role is solely functional, and they have no autonomy or rights. For this reason, a Commander marrying a Handmaid would be almost unheard of, though perhaps not completely disallowed if he held enough power and influence. But all relationships outside Gilead’s strict hierarchical model carry dire consequences, so any unauthorized union would be exceedingly dangerous. Handmaids themselves have no possibility for sanctioned marriage unless discarded by the system when they are no longer fertile. Gilead’s rules around marriage and ceremonies ruthlessly reinforce the regime’s control and oppression of its people.