On the surface, Marthas are a downtrodden lot — not powerful enough to be Wives or Lydias, not fertile or young enough to be Econowives. The name "Martha" comes from the bible, after one of Jesus' friends who is a pragmatic and focused on domestic concerns; hence the Marthas' role as housekeepers in Gilead.
Marthas. The Marthas rank higher than handmaids and are assigned to Commanders as household servants rather than sex slaves.
They were sent to the Red Center and conditioned to be handmaids. Those who seemed to have some domestic skills (cooking, cleaning, household management, etc), are chosen to be Marthas.
Unlike the Handmaids, no one thinks they are the ones who will rebel. This has made the positions of the Marthas in the resistance far higher than anyone else's. As June notes, Marthas have their own network.
What is a Martha in The Handmaid's Tale? Early on in the series, Serena Joy scoffs that Offred is "not a Martha," but this is not a name — it's a title. Marthas are essentially maids, or housekeepers.
Whereas men are defined by their military rank, women are defined solely by their gender roles as Wives, Handmaids, or Marthas. Stripping them of permanent individual names strips them of their individuality, or tries to.
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.
Wives are usually married to high ranking men in Gilead, such as Commanders, Angels and Eyes. Being a Wife is regarded as a high honor in Gilead. Only women perceived as being 'pure' and moral are given the 'privilege' of marrying. (Handmaids, for example, could never be Wives, due to their controversial nature).
The color green typically represents growth and new life, but in Atwood's novel, green is worn by the Marthas. Marthas are older, infertile women, and thus, the dull green represents women who are fading into society, becoming part of the background instead of the story.
Unbaby, or shredder, is the term used in the Republic of Gilead to describe infants that are suffering from birth defects or physical deformities.
Selection and Classification. Gilead forces fertile women into becoming Handmaids on the basis of both gender-based and religious-based crimes.
Commanders – Head of household, assigned a handmaid. Commander's Wives – Has authority over Handmaids, Guardians, Marthas. Angels – Soldiers in war.
The harshness of that word contrasts with other possibilities, like "making love," which would imply that she enjoyed or took part in the act. And she cannot call it rape, she says, because she was given a choice and she chose to be a Handmaid. Read more about how Offred became a Handmaid.
All in all women in Gilead can be divided into six groups: Handmaids, Wives, Marthas, Aunts, Econowives, and Unwomen.
The Handmaids' Red Habits
The red color of the costumes worn by the Handmaids symbolizes fertility, which is the caste's primary function. Red suggests the blood of the menstrual cycle and of childbirth.
Answer and Explanation: In The Handmaid's Tale, a Martha is a domestic servant named for Mary of Bethany's sister Martha in the Bible. They serve the commanders in the Republic of Gilead. Martha's are typically of low rank, infertile and are responsible for cleaning, cooking and caring for high-ranking families.
10 They Must Dress In Teal
Wives are dressed in modest dresses of varying shades of teal/blue, indicative of their supposed 'purity' as non-sinners (compared to the violent, but fertile, shade of red the handmaids wear).
Show runner Bruce Miller also spoke to Business Insider about the reveal of the mouth rings. He said: “It was my idea to put it in the show. It was an extrapolation of the enforced silence, which is the idea that handmaids are told to be quiet, and they're forced to be quiet.”
The color red indicates the Handmaids' fertility, echoing the color of menstrual blood. The Wives, by contrast, dress in blue, the color associated with the Virgin Mary.
Sex between husband and Handmaid is only permitted during the “Ceremony,” a monthly ritual which involves the “barren” wife as well.
The Handmaid is sent on to the next assignment. By giving birth, she can't be considered an unwoman. But giving birth and giving the child away is painful - it is part of her punishment, the pregnancies and unwanted adoptions part of her repaying her debt to society for her sins.
In the Republic of Gilead, many married couples are unable to have children. The women in these couples are blamed for the couple's infertility and labeled “barren.” It is forbidden to suggest that a man might be sterile.
In privacy, June spits out the ornamental cookie. By purging out the pink mashed-up vile, June has refused to swallow the Wives' counterfeited piety. In the domain of Gilead, these cookies are a status symbol laid out before the Handmaid's eyes.
She has a special relationship and temperament with both of her children, Hannah and Nichole. She treats them with love, care and kindness. With the Waterfords and in Gilead, June is forced to be a lot more direct, ruthless, brave, and protective.
The book explains that the world of The Handmaid's Tale is the early period of Gilead, and in subsequent periods (especially the middle period, where the Gilead oppression becomes worst) every woman that was considered fertile (not just those responsible for crimes) was to become a Handmaid.