The Handmaid’s Tale and V for Vendetta take place in similar dystopic visions of the future, in which the government has taken full control of knowledge. In these worlds, most books, movies, and music have been taken and destroyed by the government, and anything that remains is considered highly illegal. Language is heavily controlled in Gilead, the dystopic vision of America created in The Handmaid’s Tale; this is demonstrated by many things, including the hushed conversations between Offred and Ofglen, and the utmost secrecy that must be maintained regarding something as small as a game of Scrabble. Offred also belongs to a class of women known as handmaids, whose only job is to bear children.
This image comes from the upcoming show based on the novel, and likely depicts the Commander who essentially owns Offred either before or after one of their “ceremonies” in which he tries to get her pregnant. The woman on the bed is probably his wife Serena Joy, who is always present for the ceremony. Using the looming threat of imprisonment or death as their power, the government has turned an entire class of women into reproductive vessels. All information distributed to citizens is controlled, because “knowing was a temptation. What [they] [didn’t] know [wouldn’t] tempt [them].” (233, Chapter 30) By doing this the government has also turned society against those who dare to speak out against them and taken almost total control of the lives of their citizens. The government control of language, and the indoctrination of citizens to report each other to the authorities are concepts heavily mirrored in George Orwell’s 1984.
Related: V for Vendetta, 1984