Symbolism and loss of identity in The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret AtwoodIn The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, Offred tells the story of her life and that of others in Gilead, but she doesn't do it alone. The symbolic meanings found in the women's dress code, character names/titles, the absence of the mirror, and the images of smell and hunger help her to chronicle the abhorrent conditions of the Republic of Gilead. The symbols speak with a voice of their own and in decibels louder than Offred could ever dare use. They convey the social structure of Gilead society and carry forward the theme of the individual's loss of identity. All women of Gilead wear color-coded uniforms. Colors flaunt their social status and/or role in the reproductive process. The "aunts" who run the Re-education Center Rachel and Leah wear brown; they are responsible for the indoctrination of the handmaids. The "Mars", who dress in green, are the servants. The "Wives" wear a kind of Virgin Mary blue, signifying their inability to have children. The handmaids wear red robes and pointed white hats reminiscent of nuns' habits. Thus they personify a religious sacrifice; they are like “temple prostitutes condemned to a kind of purdah forever” (Rigney 117). Furthermore, the red color of their clothes symbolizes their fertility. The color-coded uniforms that women wear do more than indicate their functions. Together with the characters' names/titles, they symbolize the loss of the individual's identity. No distinctive sign of the woman is considered; rather, she is placed in a group in which she is defined only by her social and reproductive function. Essentially, color-coded uniforms strip every woman of her… middle of paper… lithic enemies. The disgusting and suffocating air of Gilead symbolizes the claustrophobia and oppression of its inhabitants (Rubenstein 109-110). In The Handmaid's Tale some symbolic devices such as dress codes and character names reflect the social position of individuals in Gilead society. These same symbols and others such as the mirror draw attention to the loss of individual identity, a theme present throughout the novel. Still others, such as smell or hunger, convey the atmosphere, both physical and psychological, of Gilead. Whatever their different purposes, symbolic devices achieve the same result: they enlighten the reader about dangerous social trends and compel them to act to prevent the outcomes they describe. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. Anchor Books: New York, New York, 1985.