Student Question
What do flowers and mirrors symbolize in The Handmaid's Tale?
Quick answer:
In The Handmaid's Tale, mirrors symbolize the removal of personal identity among the handmaids, as they are denied clear self-recognition and individuality. Flowers symbolize fertility with an ironic twist; Serena Joy's garden, with its weeping willows and fading daffodils, reflects pain and suffering. Tulips, resembling the handmaids' red attire, embody both life and physical torment, highlighting the complex and oppressive nature of Gilead.
Mirrors, or the lack thereof, are used to symbolize the removal of personal identity among the handmaids in The Handmaid's Tale. There is only one mirror on display in the Commander's house; when Offred catches sight of herself, she finds that the image is distorted. Instead of being able to clearly recognize herself, she seems to be only a "distorted shadow" or a "parody of something."
She is stripped of her individuality, dressed in a way that mirrors all of the other handmaids in their society; visually, she is reduced to "a Sister, dipped in blood." When the Commander decides to take Offred "out," she longs for a mirror to assess her appearance. Surprisingly, the Commander produces a hand mirror which Offred quickly realizes must belong to Serena Joy.
Mirrors are reserved for those who are worthy of individual recognition, such as Commanders' Wives. Handmaids, whose purpose...
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is to serve the elite and privileged, are expected to become a part of thebackground of life. Physical reflections are expected to be fleeting and superficial, just as Gilead expects its citizens' reflections of personal injustice to remain cursory and distorted.
Flowers are often symbolic of fertility, yet in the world of Gilead, this takes on an ironic interpretation. Consider this quote from chapter 3:
I go out by the back door, into the garden, which is large and tidy: a lawn in the middle, a willow, weeping catkins; around the edges, the flower borders, in which the daffodils are now fading and the tulips are opening their cups, spilling out color. The tulips are red, a darker crimson towards the stem, as if they have been cut and are beginning to heal there.
This garden is the domain of the Commander's Wife.
Serena Joy's garden is bordered in weeping willows, which symbolizes the pain surrounding her own fertility. Daffodils, which could symbolize the position of wives such as Serena Joy, are "fading" in the absence of fertility and sustenance. Tulips, whose color mimics the red which the handmaids wear, are simultaneously full of life and reflect evidence of physical pain. Thus, flowers symbolize the complex world of Gilead, where fertility is linked to suffering and torment—not hope and beauty.