THE HANDMAID'S TALE

The wives of the commanders in The Handmaid's Tale  seem to really have no role in the household other than a figurehead title.  They are less opressed than the majority of the women in Gilead and have total freedom.  Although, there is a catch to that freedom.  These women may have the freedom, but there is no point since they cannot have what they want most: fertility.  Also, the commander's wives do not serve a purpose in the household like the marthas and the handmaids do.  These women seem to just live off of status while the husbands sustain an important government job.  The commander's wives are just exisiting, not living.  The only object of nuturing the wives seem to present is the caring of their gardens.  Other than these gardens, wives of the commander seem to be full of resentment and regret.  "Many of the wives have such gardens, it's something for them to order and maintain and care for" (12).The wives contain the most resentment towards the handmaids due to jealousy of fertility.  An example of this resentment is found in a paragraph where Serena Joy tends to her garden of red tulips; perhaps representing the red of the handmaids.  "The tulips are red, a darker crimson towards the stem, as if they have been cut and are beginning to heal there" (12).  These healing tulips represent the way Offred still maintains hope while constantly being put down by Serena Joy.  Atwood's main reason for including the wives in the story is to show yet another stereotype of women: the common housewife living in the husband's shadow and status.  Once again, these characters are introduced to forward the argument of feminism and views on women in society.