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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I recently re-read the novel and I must say I am very impressed by the degree to which the tv show producers are faithful to Atwood's conception of Gilead while fleshing out the characters in a far more satisfying way. The character of Serena Joy is infinitely more interesting and dimensional in the tv show, really all the characters are. So many interesting details developed in the show that were not in the book, for example the handmaid's real name is never revealed.

One detail responding to a query earlier on this thread--handmaids who successfully gave birth to a live baby (not a 'shredder') were spared being sent to the Colonies. This was stated during the account of Janine's childbirth experience, but it was not stated what position they would hold instead. Hard to imagine them fitting into any of Gilead's categories of women but that's in the novel fwiw.[/quote]

I guess there are other positions that are not shown on screen.  The brainwashing centers need people to cook and clean, and there must be people making those red capes and blue gowns etc.  That seems like a possible job for an AMA or menopausal handmaid.  I also wonder what Gilead would consider to be “too old” for a handmaid.  Women who are very fertile are often able to give birth to healthy babies into their forties.  It would seem dumb of them to “retire” someone like June, who has had two healthy babies, just because she hits 35 or some arbitrary AMA age.[/quote]

If I'm remembering correctly, when someone is retired from being a Handmaid had nothing to do with age. Typically handmaid postings are for up to two years; if the handmaid hasn't conceived a child after two years in a house, they are removed from that house and assigned to a new one. If they go through three postings (six years) without producing a living child, they are declared Unwomen and sent to the Colonies. Handmaids were told, though, that if they did produce a healthy baby, they would never be declared Unwomen and wouldn't be sent to the Colonies even if they never produced another; this incentivized them to not take measures to try to prevent getting pregnant. We're never told, though, what actually happens to them after they stop being able to get pregnant. Some have speculated that they would eventually become Marthas, because Marthas were typically older, infertile women and there was no other built-in mechanism in Gilead to replace them over time. But Marthas seemed to fear being sent to the Colonies if they got too old or sick to work, so it's not really clear that even a productive handmaid could escape eventually being sent to the Colonies.

It's worth noting, though, that in the book there are two types of Colonies, ones where they clean up radioactive waste and ones that are engaged in agricultural production; neither was a place you wanted to go, but the agricultural ones were much better than the nuclear ones. People have speculated that which one you were sent to depended on why you were sent there. Those who were sent as punishment, such as for failing to produce healthy babies, gender treachery, adultery, etc., would go to the nuclear waste colonies, whereas those who were productive and obedient but simply became too old/infirm to do their work anymore would be sent to the agricultural colonies.[/quote]

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