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When it comes to curbing the rights of individuals in Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale, the sky is the limit. The extremely authoritarian, totalitarian, patriarchal, and misogynist regime flourishes by exercising immense control over its residents, especially women.
Therefore, it is no surprise that Gilead does the same by limiting who can and who cannot read the Bible. In The Handmaid's Tale, women are exempt from reading the Bible, and if found reading one, they are punished. This is primarily done to exert control over women's activities and take away their agency in securing knowledge.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.
Case in point, Serena Joy had in season 2 of the show read a bible verse in public as an act of defiance for Gilead's strict regulations surrounding Bible reading. As a result of that, a finger from her hand was chopped off by Gilead officials as punishment. She was not spared despite holding the status of a Commander's wife.
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Gilead women in The Handmaid's Tale are not allowed to read The Bible
As previously mentioned, women residing in Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale are not allowed to read the Bible. This is an extension of Gilead's way of exercising control over women and their activities.
Allowing women to read the Bible would run the risk of them developing pragmatism, one that Gilead does not want. This is because if women start learning, they would likely start questioning the system that keeps their activities in check.
When they start doing that, Gilead will have to exhaust more resources to keep things going the way they want. They do not want to do that when they are getting what they want by simply disconnecting the women from the source that could cause an upheaval in their carefully curated system.
Having said that, the only women who are allowed to read the bible are the Aunts. For instance, Aunt Lydia can read the Bible whenever she wants. This is because she and the other aunts are crucial in keeping the Handmaid system in place.
On top of that, a section of the Aunts in The Handmaid's Tale are willful participants. This is seen very differently in the eyes of God and the architects of Gilead, which is why less stringent protocols related to reading the Bible apply to them.
Serena Joy Waterford's finger was cut off after she tried to read The Bible in The Handmaid's Tale
In season 2 of The Handmaid's Tale, as an act of defiance against Gilead's government and to ensure that girl children of the future were granted access to education, Serena Joy read part of the Bible in front of the Commanders. While she was positive that her act would bring about change in the system, she was reprimanded by the representatives of Gilead.
Not only that, her husband, Commander Fred Wateford, did nothing to prevent it. The officials took Serena from in front of Fred while he watched. They cut the little finger off from her left hand as punishment for her act. They also instilled in her the fear that it would be met with the same reaction if she took part in such acts in the future.
The Handmaid's Tale is currently in its sixth and final season. The next episode of the show arrives on April 29, 2025.
