“The Ceremony” is one of several euphemisms used in The Handmaid’s Tale. The founders of Gilead create these euphemisms to abuse power and conceal the brutality that underpins their society.

From the beginning of their training, Handmaids are taught that it is an honor and privilege to participate in the Ceremony. It is presented as a solemn and spiritual practice in which the Handmaid is a holy vessel. The religious connotations of the word “Ceremony” are emphasized by the rituals that precede it. The Handmaids must bathe to “purify” themselves, and the Commander performs a biblical reading. However, in reality, the Ceremony is a form of state-approved rape. The Handmaids are sacrificial victims, powerless to refuse their Commanders.

“The Ceremony” is just one example of the new vocabulary Gilead establishes to enforce its power. Misleading mock-religious terms are introduced to describe a range of oppressive measures. The enforcers of Gilead’s harsh regime are known as “Guardians” and “Aunts.” Meanwhile, savage forms of public execution are relabeled as “Salvagings” and “Particicutions.” By introducing these euphemisms, the rulers of Gilead aim to gloss over their infringement of human rights. Renaming these atrocities makes them sound acceptable.

By representing the distortion of language, Atwood draws parallels between Gilead and other totalitarian regimes. Gilead’s manipulation of words and their meaning has clear parallels with tactics used by Hitler to shape public opinion. For example, in Nazi Germany’s terminology, Sonderbehandlung (“special treatment”) was a euphemism for execution, and Endlösung (“final solution”) referred to the mass murder of the Jewish people.

In The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood illustrates how language can be a dangerous tool in the wrong hands. Euphemisms can be used to manipulate public opinion and conceal the horrific truth.