Is Serena Joy a victim?

Yet, there are a few points of sympathy for the character: Serena is a woman who has been forced into oppression, she too is a victim of manipulation, and is highly lonely as she struggles to coincide in a dynamic she originally envisioned.

Is Serena Joy a good or bad person?

Serena Joy Waterford is the secondary antagonist of Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale, as well as its film and TV series adaptation. She is the cruel, fanatically religious wife of Fred Waterford, the dictator of Gilead, a far-right theocracy in the future United States.

Is Serena Waterford a victim?

The Handmaid's Tale is also attempting to redeem Serena by having her (and by proxy, the audience) realize that she is as much of a victim of Gilead's systems as the Handmaids.

Is Serena Joy Narcissistic?

Let's not forget that in season 2 it's revealed that it was Serena Joy's idea for Fred to hold June down and rape her to teach June a lesson. Let's not forget that a redemption arc can only work if there is anything in the character that can be redeemed. Serena Joy is a selfish, narcissistic coward.

Why is Serena so evil in Handmaid's Tale?

Serena is Blinded By Her Goal of Motherhood

Her treatment of June can be seen as an extension of her jealousy, with her bitterness leading her to her most violent self.

What Really Happens To Serena Joy In The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6

Is Serena Joy a gender traitor?

“Gender traitor” is the slur used for homosexuals in Gilead, but women like Serena Joy and Aunt Lydia are gender traitors in the most literal sense.

What is ironic about Serena Joy?

Here, Offred describes the irony of Serena Joy's clear bitterness from living in a world that she helped create. Women are not allowed to read or write, or have any power, so Serena Joy can do nothing but stay at home as she once preached that all women should do.

What happens to Serena Joy in handmaid's Tale?

After having her son, Noah, with a major assist from June, she is sent to an immigration detention center and her child is put into the Wheelers' care.

Did Serena Joy just become a Handmaid?

There's a new Serena Joy Waterford in the fifth season of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale. Not only has she been edged out of her protected position as the Wife of a powerful Commander, but as a single pregnant woman, she soon became a Handmaid.

Is Aunt Lydia part of Mayday?

Despite seeming to be a true believer at the start of the story (at least in June's eyes, indicating that she might not always be a reliable narrator), Lydia is actually a part of Mayday, working against Gilead in the long game.

Does Serena Joy love the commander?

The Commander and Serena Joy's relationship isn't affectionate. The only time the two are seen together is during The Ceremony and when Offred is being taken away. Relationship with Nick Nick is The Commander's driver, and doesn't have much of a relationship with Serena Joy.

What happened when someone tried to assassinate Serena Joy?

The shooter was never identified, but likely believed to be a militant feminist or a member of a far-left terrorist organization. However, the assassination failed, having missed Serena and hitting her secretary instead..

How does Offred manipulate Serena Joy?

Offred would not like to let Serena raise her child, which goes against Gilead's law and make Serena wait even longer to upgrade her status. Offred controls Serena, both psychologically and physically, and makes Serena more submissive to her.

Who does Serena Joy represent in real life?

While Serena is undeniably fictional, it is fair to speculate that she was inspired by the real-life Phyllis Schlafly, who was a similarly paradoxically public advocate for domestic women.

How does Serena betray Fred?

She made a deal with US government agent Mark Tuello to bring Fred across the Canadian border and have him arrested in exchange for visitation rights with Nichole. What Serena didn't know is that she would also be arrested and held in a Canadian facility.

Why does Serena Joy have a cane?

That scene is one example of why having a younger Serena can pay off. The Serena Joy from the books, in pain with arthritis and using a cane, wouldn't have been able to dive to the floor and scream in Offred's face. "I think that's the vibrancy that you get from having a younger [Serena]," Miller said.

How does Serena Joy suffer?

She is confined to her home and forced to take in a Handmaid to try to conceive a child with her husband. Serena's obvious unhappiness means that she teeters on the edge of inspiring the reader's sympathy, but she forfeits that sympathy by taking out her anger on Offred.

What is Serena Joy's problem?

She Rejects Her Chances to Escape

It's not a stretch to say that she suffers from a little bit of Stockholm syndrome. Still, as a Commander's Wife, she possesses much more agency and resources than Marthas and Handmaids. You'd think that she'd seize the chance to start anew.

Does June get her mouth sewn shut?

At first she can't understand why the Handmaid is not replying to her before she sees that her mouth has been forced shut with metal rings. The episode is a particularly interesting one for June, who is forced to also have her mouth covered when she travels to Washington D.C. by Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd).

How did Serena know June killed Fred?

At the safe house, Serena-sympathizer Mark Tuello tells her exactly what happened to Fred, including the fact that his ring finger had been cut off and mailed to her. As gross as that is, it makes it very clear to Serena that June, not Gilead, is responsible for his murder.

What was Serena Joy punished for reading?

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth and a finger for some words. That last one is the cost Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski) pays in the season two finale of The Handmaid's Tale, as Gilead's leadership orders the severing of one of her fingers for the simple act of reading a Bible verse aloud.

What is an unbaby?

Unbaby, or shredder, is the term used in the Republic of Gilead to describe infants that are suffering from birth defects or physical deformities. These die shortly after birth due to their defects.

Why did the commander cut off Serena's finger?

After witnessing Eden killed in a public execution, Serena was horrified and worried for her daughter's future in Gilead. Her finger being chopped off served as a reminder that despite her status, she too was a woman living in a patriarchal society and was put back in her place.

Does Serena Joy get her comeuppance?

The episode ends, however, with the ultimate comeuppance when, shortly after arriving at the hospital in Canada, June's husband Luke (O.T. Fagbenle) calls immigration authorities on Serena, who is undocumented, and her baby is promptly taken away as she is detained.

Why might Serena Joy be crying?

In the chapter, it is indicated that Serena Joy is used to crying in the evening after the bible passage has been read aloud in the household ceremony. This could imply that there is something about the ceremony that awakens her emotions, and deeply upsets her.