June Osborne Luke and June first began seeing each other when Luke was still married to Annie (Kelly Jenrette), whom he later divorced. Due to their marriage being Luke's second, June is considered an "adulteress" in
June, for instance, relates that she was forced to become a handmaid because Gilead outlawed divorce and invalidated any marriages in which one of the partners was divorced; she was thus deemed to be an adulteress because her husband, Luke, divorced his first wife to marry her.
In June's case, she had an affair with Luke before he was divorced from his first wife. That “sin” on June's part keeps her from the position of Econowife.
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).
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.
A successful pregnancy for a Handmaid means a release, not just for her but for the household she serves. In a moment of businesslike empathy, the narrator understands that Serena Joy would be relieved if she got pregnant and they could stop having Ceremonies.
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.
Econowives can also return to their postings as handmaids, if they are needed. Both Emily and Janine were “rescued” from the Colonies by Aunt Lydia. The Marthas rank higher than handmaids and are assigned to Commanders as household servants rather than sex slaves.
In Gilead, wives are selected from among the daughters of respectable citizens once the girls have reached childbearing age. Their mothers arrange their marriages to Angels who have recently returned from the front line.
Blue is often associated with the Virgin Mary and purity and serenity - it used to be considered a very feminine colour, so perhaps that is why the Wives wear it. Red is considered the colour of life, due to the association with blood, and Handmaids are all about bringing forth new life and fertility.
Rather than being married to Commanders, Econowives are fertile women who are married off to Gilead's more ordinary men. As well as being expected to have children, Econowives are expected to take care of their households, and they aren't assigned Marthas to help them.
June Osborne
Luke and June first began seeing each other when Luke was still married to Annie (Kelly Jenrette), whom he later divorced. Due to their marriage being Luke's second, June is considered an "adulteress" in Gilead, and because of her fertility, is forced to be a handmaid as reparation for her sin.
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.
For those too old to bear their own, or those who are infertile, Wives must agree to pick out a suitable Handmaid for the Commanders to impregnate. Being childless is a social taboo in Gilead, and frowned upon as though the Wives are not fulfilling their duty, coercing them into submission.
The childbirth scene is primal and intimate and prompts the women to confess their secrets: June tells Serena that she didn't kill her when she had the chance because she simply didn't want to, and Serena realizes she has been forced into essentially being a handmaid in the Wheelers house and begs June to take her baby ...
Serena Helped Create Gilead
As a writer and activist, Serena didn't condone rules such as the ban on reading and writing; instead, she envisioned a world where religion and childbearing were at the forefront, without sacrifices to everyday freedoms.
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.
6 Women are Forbidden to Read or Write
Like the coercion of religious beliefs in Gilead, women are at the forefront of regulations of their freedom. Asides from the Handmaid's sexual servitude and orchestration of their bodies, every woman in Gilead (asides Aunts) is subject to the removal of words and pens.
The Marthas
They are low-ranking, infertile women who cook, clean, and help take care of the ruling class's offspring.
Cora is a character in The Handmaid's Tale. She was the Martha of the Lawrence household, to whom Emily is sent to after Commander Roy's death.
Commanders of the Faithful, or Commanders for short, are the apex of Gilead's male hierarchy.
The Handmaids wear red dresses and red capes, which they must wear in public. Wearing red indicates the Handmaids' fertility, symbolising their primary role which is to produce a child. Only those women who are fertile wear red.
Handmaids who successfully bear children continue to live at their commander's house until their children are weaned, at which point they are sent to a new assignment to a new commander. Those who produce children will never be declared "Unwomen" or sent to the Colonies, even if they never have another baby.
At the start of The Handmaid's Tale June had been in Gilead for three years, and within a few months of being at her new posting as "Offred," she became pregnant with Nick's baby. By the time Nichole was born, towards the end of The Handmaid's Tale season 2, June had been in Gilead for four years.
The Handmaid's Tale was written in 1985 by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. The book is also set in the near future - around 2005 - showing how quickly the world can fall into despair. Although it's a work of science fiction, Atwood's novel makes reference to several aspects of religious and political history.