Brainwashing in The Handmaid's Tale

            The Republic of Gilead is one filled with people in transition. Its citizens have been taken out of their relatively free lives and put into the republic of Gilead thanks to some disaster.

            As a direct result, these people experience a sort of sorrow that comes as a result of losing the lives that they once cherished. It is widely believed by the government and it’s officials, such as Aunt Lydia, that while the current population wishes for it’s old life back, the next generation will not know any different and be completely complacent throughout their lives.

            Brainwashing comes in many forms throughout the book and doesn’t seem to truly work on Offred. This soon changes as we go further and further into the novel. She first witnesses a loss of free will as she sees Moira in ‘the club’. Moira, a girl who once escaped the government’s captivity is now perfectly satisfied with the life she lives. “So here I am. They even give you face cream.” (261) She says to Offred, who is shocked by her acceptance of her new life.

Brainwashing takes place in many forms and it can be done indirectly. Offred’s free will is stripped away piece by piece. She simply doesn’t wish to have it anymore. The circumstances of her life only provide pain when confronted with the mindset that she held before the formation of The Republic of Gilead. After sleeping with Nick, she even says, “I would like to be without shame. I would like to be shameless. I would like to be ignorant. Then I would not know how ignorant I was.” (275) In this quote, she almost wishes that the she hadn’t resisted Gilead’s indoctrination.

            As she slowly gives in to the ever-present societal pressure, she begins to say things that shock even her, “Things are back to normal.” Without pause, she immediately says, “How can I call this normal?” (294) She goes on to describe how everything is relative and how this has essentially become normal for her.

            Time is a key part of the conditioning Gilead’s been applying to the people under it’s rule, and with the loss of any resistance on both Offred and Moira’s part as well as others who share their views, it’s finally working.