Blood Tapestry: The Women of Gilead in 'The Handmaid's Tale
History is filled with the forgotten accounts of great women. Since the beginning of time, men have stolen their ideas, demeaned their intelligence, and built statues in their own image. Gilead excelled at this practice. Serena Joy Waterford, their philosophical founder, wasn't mentioned in any records after the fall of the regime. Historians speculated that her name might have been a parodical pseudonym, created by June when she made the audio cassettes recording her experiences as a handmaid. It was the same with Aunt Lydia, a formidable political figure, credited as a founding aunt. Her picture hung in the back of every classroom. By the time the regime had fallen, and the world had moved on, there was very little proof of her existence. Historians knew the names of the Sons of Jacob and powerful commanders. But women's records were purged, burned in an effort to erase the crimes of men. There's no way of knowing how many stories have faded, what those women's lives were like, or what they might have accomplished. They could have lit the first fire and invented the wheel, the bow and arrow, and the sword. Perhaps they created the first spyglass or ship sail. If the legacies of women like Lydia and Serena can be destroyed, anything is possible. It's time women were given the credit they deserve. Let's right countless wrongs, restore dignity and justice, and delve into the bloody tapestry of female life in Gilead.
