The Bible and Religion
Bible StudySay the word "dystopia" to most people, and a dependable string of associations spring to mind—"uniforms," "surveillance," "murder," "despair." Things that aren't usually associated wi...
Eyes and Seeing
The Eye in the SkyEyes are beautiful. They're the dang windows to the dang soul, right? Sure—unless you're in Gilead, in which case "eyes" are the terrifying presence of the State and not somethi...
Fertility and Sex
Ooh, BabyGilead tops the list of our "Least Sexy Travel Destinations." We're even placing it above Antarctica (brr) and Mordor (eek).Gilead rose to power in large part because no one was making bab...
Flowers
My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose Usually, when you compare a lady-friend to a flower, you're being a total sweetie. Her lips are like petals? Aww. Her cheeks are like posies? You charmer.Leave it to...
Eggs
Egg-cellent We're going to admit something to you: we at Shmoop are egg-ophiles. We're egg-oholics. If it were socially acceptable or even remotely recommended by doctors, we'd eat omelets, eggwich...
The Republic of Gilead (Cambridge, MA)
The place in which this dystopic masterpiece is set is totally crucial to understanding the novel. See our discussion in "Setting" for more.