Asked by: Chance Awelan
books and literature fiction

Who are the guardians in The Handmaid's Tale?

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Guardians of the Faith, or simply Guardians, are a caste in Gilead that function as uniformed guards and police. They serve as the personal soldiers, bodyguards and servants of Commanders. In the Novel, they are lower ranking than Angels, though they still have some privileges over ordinary men.


Accordingly, who are angels in Handmaid's Tale?

The frontline soldiers of Gilead are referred to as Angels or Guardians of the Faith, but most terrifying of all are the Eyes, who are essentially the KGB of Gilead. They're known for appearing in black vans and snatching people off the street for interrogation, arrest, and execution.

Secondly, who are the Marthas in Handmaid's Tale? The Marthas are household servants, given the generic name 'Martha' after Martha the sister of Mary of Bethany, the friends of Jesus (see Luke 10:38-42). Martha is the practical, domesticated one, whereas Mary sits at Jesus' feet to listen to his teachings.

Furthermore, is Nick a guardian Handmaid's Tale?

Summary: Chapter 4. As she leaves the house to go shopping, Offred notices Nick, a Guardian of the Faith, washing the Commander's car. Nick lives above the garage. He winks at Offred—an offense against -decorum— but she ignores him, fearing that he may be an Eye, a spy assigned to test her.

What are handmaids not allowed to do?

The handmaids and other members of the house, besides the Econowife, are not allowed to watch TV except for on Ceremony nights. They aren't allowed to follow the news and or form their own ideas or opinions about different topics. They are restricted on what they can watch and when.

Related Question Answers

Malik Lehnhoff

Professional

Why is everyone infertile in The Handmaid's Tale?

Simply put, the global birth rate in The Handmaid's Tale is in sharp decline. Gilead, with its rigid gender roles, seeks to remedy that decline. Castillo has come to Gilead to barter for Gilead's most valuable commodity: handmaids. We also know that both men and women are affected by infertility.

Fayçal Fontbona

Professional

What does Blessed be the fruit mean?

"Blessed Be the Fruit:" Gileadean for "hello." Handmaids use this line to greet each other to encourage fertility. The common reply is, "May the Lord open." The Ceremony: The monthly handmaid ritual meant to result in impregnation.

Raid Bargallo

Professional

Why do the handmaids wear red?

The Handmaids' Red Habits
The red color of the costumes worn by the Handmaids symbolizes fertility, which is the caste's primary function. Red suggests the blood of the menstrual cycle and of childbirth. The Handmaids' red garments, then, also symbolize the ambiguous sinfulness of the Handmaids' position in Gilead.

Ok Kleinikel

Explainer

Why do the commanders wives wear green?

The unmarried, infertile women in Gilead work as domestic servants and nannies to high ranking families. They wear green, darker on the Hulu series. They get to keep their names, just like wives.

Hanin Ladusch

Explainer

What religion is Gilead?

Atwood insists, however, The Handmaid's Tale isn't “anti-religious.” In her afterword, she points out that the resurgent Puritanism that dominates Gilead is also hunting down other Christians—Catholics, Baptists, Quakers.

Abdelmoughit Kalogeria

Explainer

Why do handmaids wear wings?

In contrast to red, the handmaids also wear white bonnets and wings to symbolize purity and innocence. The white wings cover their heads and faces to separate them from the world, and to separate the world from them.

Issa Mintrop

Pundit

Why do handmaids walk in pairs?

While Ofglen is referring to the Republic of Gilead's rule that handmaids walk in pairs so they can spy on each other, this sense of mutual distrust is evident in our society on multiple levels.

Nermin Maravi

Pundit

Who controls Gilead?

In The Handmaid's Tale the former United States is now the Republic of Gilead, controlled by a theocratic dictatorship called "The Sons of Jacob." The Sons of Jacob rose to prominence after an alleged terrorist attack (blamed on Muslim extremists) killed the President of the United States and the majority of Congress.

Vickey Carromero

Pundit

Does JUNE love Nick or Luke?

The show's heroine June is torn between her absent husband Luke and Gilead secret police, Nick. Her constant loving flashbacks to her old life with Luke shows she still loves him. But she also seems to love Nick, sneaking kisses and intimate touches on the sly and risking her life just to see him.

Orlando Panth

Pundit

Is Nick Blaine a commander?

Nick Blaine (portrayed by Max Minghella) is Commander Waterford's driver and a former drifter from Michigan who has feelings for June. His direct superior is Commander Pryce, head of Security, Who wants him to "control Waterford" in prevision of further purges of Gilead.

Elbio Sarmad

Pundit

Do Nick and June end up together?

June might end up alone
She has changed a lot over the course of the show. There is no guarantee that if she reunited with Luke they would stay together. June changed a lot over the course of the third season, so there is always the chance she and Nick would not work out either.

Lillie Quilez

Teacher

Does Nick fall in love with Offred?

Nick and Offred's love story in 'The Handmaid's Tale'
At this point we know very little about him, but Offred seems suspicious that he may be an Eye—someone who works for Gilead as a spy of sorts. These sleepovers continue, and at one pivotal point, Offred reveals her real name to Nick: June.

Petrina Cortico

Teacher

Does Offred sleep with Nick in the book?

After Offred's night at Jezebel's, Serena Joy secretly arranges for Offred to visit Nick in his rooms and sleep with him to conceive a child. Offred sleeps with Nick willingly. She quickly develops feelings for him and he seems to reciprocate.

Hamsa Ingargiola

Teacher

Does JUNE get out of Gilead?

No, June doesn't escape. She is shot by one of Gilead's guards but not before she and a few Marthas and Handmaids stayed behind to distract him by throwing rocks at him as dozens of children (more than the 52 originally expected), Marthas and Handmaids made it to the waiting plane.

Criseida Gaudioso

Teacher

Does Offred find Luke?

Luke. Although he does not appear in the present-action story, Offred's former husband Luke is a major presence in the novel. Offred remembers him lovingly, and feels anguish when she cannot preserve her memory of him: “night by night he recedes, and I become more faithless” (Chapter 40).

Peace Vislobokov

Reviewer

Do the Waterfords know Nick is an eye?

Nick is an undercover Eye, whose purpose is mainly to spy on Fred. He would basically be doing everything he could to make sure Fred, and anyone in Fred's social circle, did not know he was an Eye. His primary, visible role in Gilead is as a Guardian.

Ramonita Birsan

Reviewer

What is an eye in Gilead?

Eyes: Secret police officers who work for the Republic of Gilead; they are responsible for detecting traitors and monitoring all suspicious activity in Gilead. Eyes drive in black vans and also have the power to make arrests in public.

Liming Nienhus

Reviewer

Why are Marthas called Marthas?

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.

Carine Martitxenea

Reviewer

Why are Marthas not handmaids?

Sometimes it seems like it's mostly in the dresses they wear, but that's not true at all. A Handmaid, as viewers of the show are aware, is a woman forced into servitude due to their fertility. Marthas, on the other hand, are women perceived as infertile.

Co-Authored By:

EveryThingWhat Staff Editor

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28th February, 2020

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