The Duality of Autonomy in The Handmaid's Tale

 

The image above is from the fictional series The Handmaid’s Tale, which centers around a woman named June who is forced to become an enslaved surrogate to a wealthy couple. In this scene, the Commander, who informally goes by Fred, is centrally positioned in the foreground. He is dressed formally, wearing a black suit, and is in the process of adjusting his lapel. His face is contorted into a highly focused expression. Behind him, June/Offred is lying on the edge of a bed. Most of her body is blocked by Fred’s head, but her red robe can be clearly seen. There is another woman, Serena, who sits on the left edge of the bed (viewer’s right). Serena is turned away from the camera so only her side profile is visible, yet she appears to be hunched. We can vaguely see that she is wearing a dark turquoise dress. The room is dimly lit, which suggests an ominous understone. Fred being centrally positioned and the two women out of focus, this image effectively captures the main idea of the series that women must be subordinate to men, more specifically, to their husbands. While the series is dystopian, it is also meant to be a commentary on modern societal issues such as women’s rights and infertility.

In her essay, “Authority and Autonomy in Marriage,” Marianne Weber explains how women are and have been expected to submit to their husbands' domination, particularly in the household. Although the ways in which women are controlled by men varies across religions and cultures, the belief that women must serve their husbands is fairly widespread. Weber notes that although the industrial age has allowed women to gain more independence, they are still subordinated in the household, as their “parental authority attains its full scope of application only after the father’s death, or when he is hindered from exercising that authority” (Weber 2003: 91). Thus, women continue to encounter new challenges to their authority in various forms. Weber also discusses different types of subordination, and how women who voluntarily comply with their husbands do not surrender their autonomy but “place her wishes and interests behind his” (Weber 2003: 93). Voluntary subordination is therefore distinct from compelled subordination as the woman is conscious of her decision. However, the woman that willingly aligns her interests with her husbands' will likely find it harder to break away from his influence later down the line (Weber 2003: 94). Marianne Weber’s conceptualization of autonomy in marriage is inspired by her husband, Max’s, work on domination and obedience.

Weber’s idea of autonomy in marriage directly applies to The Handmaid’s Tale, as June and Serena represent the two types of autonomy. While June is made to comply with Serena and Fred’s rules, Serena wilfully submits to her husband. Serena embodies what Weber refers to as the wife who is “‘subordinated’ in the totality of her being,” someone who had not developed their full moral or intellectual capacity. June, on the other hand, who is not married to Fred, repeatedly defies him despite disadvantaged status as a woman in an extremely patriarchal society. June’s understanding of marriage more closely resembles that of Weber’s “modern woman,” who wants to be respected as an equal partner to her husband. Thus, June’s resistance to Fred’s advances symbolizes the enforcement of her autonomy. Moreover, Fred's relationship to June and Serena seemingly resembles the Puritan ideal for marriage in a deconstructed fashion. Though they are married, Fred and Serena are discouraged from having sex, as it distracts Fred from his main task, which is to impregnate June. June simply represents the vessel by which the couple can attain a child. Thus, Fred is able to both have a child and protect his marriage from the sin of lust, while also keeping Serena under his control. 

References

Bradley, Laura. 2018. “The Handmaid’s Tale Scene That Went Too Far for Joseph Fiennes.” Vanity Fair, July 26. Retrieved April 18, 2024 (https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/07/handmaids-tale-joseph-fiennes-rape-scene-commander-waterford)

Weber, Marianne and Craig R. Bermingham. 2003. "Authority and Autonomy in Marriage." Sociological Theory 21(2): 85-102.