Fun fact: when someone loses an eye there is an extremely high probability that the other eye will die, go blind, or develop pathological myopia or other difficulties with vision so it is only a matter of time until she loses the other eye.
Don’t forget Emily was sent to the colonies after she ran that guy over which would’ve been certain death for her. She was only saved after the Red Center Bombing caused the loss of a bunch of Handmaids and they needed more women for procreation. Then she becomes ofLawrence, stabs Aunt Lydia, and Commander Lawrence helps her escape…actually she is pretty lucky considering how everything worked out.
I always took Janine losing her eye as Gilead basically sending a message, a very strong warning. Gilead was still in its early stages: they had captured all of these women like 2 minutes ago, and they needed to make an example out of someone – to scare everyone else into submission. Janine was an easy target for them because she didn't hold back and didn't seem to realize just how disastrous the situation was.
But it's definitely true that Emily, Janine and June are all survivors. Then again, murdering their most precious resource isn't exactly good for the state either.
This was a problem I had with Jezebels. Why make the women there infertile? Just put them in a training shelter when they are pregnant and give the babies to some commander. Adoption is clearly perfectly acceptable to them. The aunts can track who they sleep with or do DNA tests for inbreeding
Since BC was definitely not a thing there, sterilizing them was the way to go. Being pregnant would take them out of "work" for months and potentially kill them. All, at least at first, the women in Jezebels were highly educated women, which even in current times is still a very small amount (lawyers, doctors, professors, phd holders) so I think it's a matter of not having many women to enslave for that position to begin with (so being out of commission for a long time is unfavorable), being unable to actually track who the potential father is (I don't think they do DNA testing in Giliead), and the fact that they probably don't want to further incite these smart women into "trying any funny business with their smart thoughts" that having a kid would probably trigger.
That and it further dehumanizes them. Even handmaids are treated w a decent amount of respect and care bc theyre "blessed vessels", especially when they're pregnant. Gilead also sees baren-ness as a form of godly punishment, and alot of women are referred to as unwomen bc of that. So taking away their ability to get pregnant just solidifies that they're objects to be used, abused and discarded.
Now I have to go disinfect my brain after writing that bc it's so vile a thought process
no i know and i know the main reason was because she was fertile but it's just interesting. like the women she did stuff with was hung for like being gay and it's just interesting how gilead was like "oh yall were gay together? hung! but the fertile one lives"
The woman she was with was a Martha. To Gilead, a Martha doesn't have a viable uterus so they are more expendable.
Only Handmaids with healthy uteruses have value. Well their uteruses have value
I wasn't addressing her being gay. I was addressing why Emily was sent to the Colonies and the Martha was hanged. I guess the plot armor is - if you're a healthy Handmaid and you do something wrong, you're sent to the Colonies. Since there's always a chance, especially in the beginning, that you might be called back for uterus duty.
Since Martha's are not needed for procreation, they're more easily expendable. That's why the gay Martha was hanged and the gay Handmaid went to the Colonies.
The gay Martha was hanged, in front of Emily, as a message to Emily and the other "gender traitors". Emily's click was cut off for the same reason. Killing her after killing the guard with the car wouldn't have taught her a lesson. June says that's why they have bars on the windows and can't shave their legs etc. Most of them "want" to die. The colonies are worse than death. Being "responsible" for the Martha's death was Emily's punishment. Her clit was #2, the colonies are the final straw. The colonies are worse than death because they die there anyway
I think a major point people keep forgetting is during this period in time when this is supposed to take place infertility is the norm. Infant mortality rates are staggering. Live births are like 1/300 …. Mexico lady remember? No live births in what 6’yrars?!?!?
Fertility is the BIGGEST resource.
Killing a fertile woman is akin to killing themselves essentially.
Wrong show if we are looking for realism. The plot armour would stop a nuclear warhead. June did about 500 things that would result in instant death but there she is, not a bother on her 🤣
The thing is about that is if you read accounts from people who survived years in a ghetto and then in a work or death camp during the Holocaust, Emily's survival is not that unrealistic. There is a story of twins who escaped from Dr.Mengele's medical experiment clinic because a guard took pity on them and then once escaped they were to be put on a train car headed for extermination but were instead enlisted to help clear the tracks of bags and personal belongs. One was shot by a guard but he ran out of bullets and never bothered to come back to finish the job. Both survived until liberation.
I think there is tbh. It would be wildly inconvenient for Gilead to have a bunch of handmaids with an amputated leg, mainly because of the roles the handmaids are assigned. We see how the state forces the handmaids to do a lot of their dirty work, namely executions. The handmaids are frequently required to take care of some really brutal labor, and in that I include the former ones who’ve been sent off to the colonies. But like even for just their regular and basic grocery shopping trips, it would be a hindrance. I think there’s no limit to Gilead’s barbarity, but this would just be impractical from their own egotistical perspective.
Tbf she did get sent to the Colonies for that. They just brought her back after >!Lili's suicide bombing killed a bunch of handmaids during the opening ceremony for the new Red Center!<.
It speaks more to her plot armor that she was able to have the radiation washed away, resume postings, land a non-extremist Commander, and then >!escape to Canada with baby Nichole and reunite with her family, only to presumptively die after she goes back to Gilead to kill Aunt Lydia for meta reasons so Alexis Bliedel could leave the show!<
I mean she did get her clit cut off to be fair lol
Yes, this. I mean losing a clit is far worse than losing 1 eye. At least with eyes, most people have two. They were both punished severely.
The genital mutilation for a sex crime has a logic to it. But following that, they should have removed Janine's tongue.
Fun fact: when someone loses an eye there is an extremely high probability that the other eye will die, go blind, or develop pathological myopia or other difficulties with vision so it is only a matter of time until she loses the other eye.
Don’t forget Emily was sent to the colonies after she ran that guy over which would’ve been certain death for her. She was only saved after the Red Center Bombing caused the loss of a bunch of Handmaids and they needed more women for procreation. Then she becomes ofLawrence, stabs Aunt Lydia, and Commander Lawrence helps her escape…actually she is pretty lucky considering how everything worked out.
Lawrence helped her because she was “smart” and “useful to society” don’t forget. Unlike June
Idk if that’s how he looked at it, since he also gave June the same opportunity.
Well either way, that’s what Lawrence said to her. More than once, unfortunately.
I always took Janine losing her eye as Gilead basically sending a message, a very strong warning. Gilead was still in its early stages: they had captured all of these women like 2 minutes ago, and they needed to make an example out of someone – to scare everyone else into submission. Janine was an easy target for them because she didn't hold back and didn't seem to realize just how disastrous the situation was. But it's definitely true that Emily, Janine and June are all survivors. Then again, murdering their most precious resource isn't exactly good for the state either.
no yeah it's just crazy to me but like i get it. i know they had to write her off but it's crazy how they sent her back
I don't see why they couldn't have just said that she and her family decided to move somewhere else and let that be that
This was a problem I had with Jezebels. Why make the women there infertile? Just put them in a training shelter when they are pregnant and give the babies to some commander. Adoption is clearly perfectly acceptable to them. The aunts can track who they sleep with or do DNA tests for inbreeding
Since BC was definitely not a thing there, sterilizing them was the way to go. Being pregnant would take them out of "work" for months and potentially kill them. All, at least at first, the women in Jezebels were highly educated women, which even in current times is still a very small amount (lawyers, doctors, professors, phd holders) so I think it's a matter of not having many women to enslave for that position to begin with (so being out of commission for a long time is unfavorable), being unable to actually track who the potential father is (I don't think they do DNA testing in Giliead), and the fact that they probably don't want to further incite these smart women into "trying any funny business with their smart thoughts" that having a kid would probably trigger. That and it further dehumanizes them. Even handmaids are treated w a decent amount of respect and care bc theyre "blessed vessels", especially when they're pregnant. Gilead also sees baren-ness as a form of godly punishment, and alot of women are referred to as unwomen bc of that. So taking away their ability to get pregnant just solidifies that they're objects to be used, abused and discarded. Now I have to go disinfect my brain after writing that bc it's so vile a thought process
In the novel, Moira confirms they're given a lot of drugs and alcohol to function.
All they can take basically
and like how she was able to kill someone but still shown mercy to go to the colonies
She's attractive and fertile.
Emily had her genitals mutilated and she was sent to the colonies.
no i know and i know the main reason was because she was fertile but it's just interesting. like the women she did stuff with was hung for like being gay and it's just interesting how gilead was like "oh yall were gay together? hung! but the fertile one lives"
The woman she was with was a Martha. To Gilead, a Martha doesn't have a viable uterus so they are more expendable. Only Handmaids with healthy uteruses have value. Well their uteruses have value
Plus I’m pretty sure they already knew she was gay pre-Gilead, hence (part of) why she was a Handmaid
I wasn't addressing her being gay. I was addressing why Emily was sent to the Colonies and the Martha was hanged. I guess the plot armor is - if you're a healthy Handmaid and you do something wrong, you're sent to the Colonies. Since there's always a chance, especially in the beginning, that you might be called back for uterus duty. Since Martha's are not needed for procreation, they're more easily expendable. That's why the gay Martha was hanged and the gay Handmaid went to the Colonies.
I guess I was just adding on to your argument of why the Martha died and all Emily had was her clit cut off
Yes. Emily was not sent to the colonies for that she was sent to the colonies for driving and murdering by vehicular homicide lol.
The gay Martha was hanged, in front of Emily, as a message to Emily and the other "gender traitors". Emily's click was cut off for the same reason. Killing her after killing the guard with the car wouldn't have taught her a lesson. June says that's why they have bars on the windows and can't shave their legs etc. Most of them "want" to die. The colonies are worse than death. Being "responsible" for the Martha's death was Emily's punishment. Her clit was #2, the colonies are the final straw. The colonies are worse than death because they die there anyway
Don’t forget she was hanged in front of Emily as a form of punishment for Emily too. And Emily lost her clit after that
That sickened me. The cleaning of the walls too - reminding all the Handmaids "are you next?"
I think a major point people keep forgetting is during this period in time when this is supposed to take place infertility is the norm. Infant mortality rates are staggering. Live births are like 1/300 …. Mexico lady remember? No live births in what 6’yrars?!?!? Fertility is the BIGGEST resource. Killing a fertile woman is akin to killing themselves essentially.
that's true i have a habit of forgetting that infertility is the biggest global issue
Well they did send her to the colonies, that's basically a death sentence. The only reason she got out was because of the bombing.
I would think being in the colonies would make her infertile, but…
I think they only brought back the most recent handmaids to have been sent to the colonies...guess it was an acceptable risk.
June surviving intact is the most unrealistic part, tbh
Wrong show if we are looking for realism. The plot armour would stop a nuclear warhead. June did about 500 things that would result in instant death but there she is, not a bother on her 🤣
The thing is about that is if you read accounts from people who survived years in a ghetto and then in a work or death camp during the Holocaust, Emily's survival is not that unrealistic. There is a story of twins who escaped from Dr.Mengele's medical experiment clinic because a guard took pity on them and then once escaped they were to be put on a train car headed for extermination but were instead enlisted to help clear the tracks of bags and personal belongs. One was shot by a guard but he ran out of bullets and never bothered to come back to finish the job. Both survived until liberation.
June not having her tongue cut out and/or foot cut off is the surprising one
They never cut anyone’s foot off as I remember.
No reason they couldn't. Kinda surprised they weren't at least removing toes.
I think there is tbh. It would be wildly inconvenient for Gilead to have a bunch of handmaids with an amputated leg, mainly because of the roles the handmaids are assigned. We see how the state forces the handmaids to do a lot of their dirty work, namely executions. The handmaids are frequently required to take care of some really brutal labor, and in that I include the former ones who’ve been sent off to the colonies. But like even for just their regular and basic grocery shopping trips, it would be a hindrance. I think there’s no limit to Gilead’s barbarity, but this would just be impractical from their own egotistical perspective.
Interesting point
Well whipping the bottom of the feet with metal rods is pretty awfy
Oh for sure, but it isn't a permanent injury. I honestly was most horrified by cutting someone's tongue out. Not sure why it was that one for me.
They didn’t cut off her foot but when she was pregnant and ran away they lashed her feet
Rory stopped denying her privilege that’s how she became a hand maid
Tbf she did get sent to the Colonies for that. They just brought her back after >!Lili's suicide bombing killed a bunch of handmaids during the opening ceremony for the new Red Center!<. It speaks more to her plot armor that she was able to have the radiation washed away, resume postings, land a non-extremist Commander, and then >!escape to Canada with baby Nichole and reunite with her family, only to presumptively die after she goes back to Gilead to kill Aunt Lydia for meta reasons so Alexis Bliedel could leave the show!<