#3- Handmaid's Tale

"There are several umbrellas in it: black, for the Commander, blue, for the Commander's Wife, and the one assigned to me, which is red" (9).

The various people of the Gilead society wear different colors to show their positions. The Commander wears black, his wife, blue, and the Handmaids, red. Atwood uses these particular colors for a reason. The black symbolizes the Commanders' authority and the Commanders' wives wear blue to separate themselves from the Handmaids. The blue outfits make the wives seem like the fruitful women of the society, not the Handmaids, because blue often stands for femininity, purity, and birth, since most babies have blue eyes. The red of the Handmaids symbolizes blood which connects them to the birthing process. It also symbolizes masculinity which distinguishes them from the wives.

Works Cited:
"Black." Wikipedia. 12 Aug. 2010. 28 Aug. 2010 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black>.

Protas, Allison, Geoff Brown, Jamie Smith, and Eric Jaffe. "Blue." Dictionary of Symbolism. 28 Aug. 2010 <http://www.umich.edu/~umfandsf/symbolismproject/symbolism.html/>. Path: B; Blue.

Protas, Allison, Geoff Brown, Jamie Smith, and Eric Jaffe. "Red." Dictionary of Symbolism. 28 Aug. 2010 <http://www.umich.edu/~umfandsf/symbolismproject/symbolism.html/>. Path: R; Red.