“Blessed be the fruit” is a common phrase used by the characters in Margaret Atwood’s novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” and its subsequent TV adaptation. The phrase is a greeting exchanged between the Handmaids, who are women in the society of Gilead, a totalitarian regime that has taken over the United States.
In this dystopian society, fertility rates have dropped drastically due to pollution and disease, and the remaining fertile women are forced into sexual servitude to bear children for the ruling class. The Handmaids are trained and indoctrinated to believe that their sole purpose in life is to bear children, and the phrase “blessed be the fruit” is a reminder of their duty and the importance of their fertility.
The phrase itself is a reference to a biblical verse from the Gospel of Luke, where Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, greets Mary, the mother of Jesus, with the words “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (Luke 1:42). In the context of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the phrase is used to reinforce the religious underpinnings of Gilead and to remind the Handmaids of their sacred duty to bear children.
The phrase “blessed be the fruit” is often used as a greeting between Handmaids, as a way of acknowledging their shared role and reinforcing their bond. It is also used as a response to the phrase “may the Lord open,” which is another greeting used in Gilead. “May the Lord open” is a reference to the opening of the Handmaid’s womb, which is necessary for her to become pregnant and fulfill her role as a surrogate mother.
The use of religious language and symbolism in “The Handmaid’s Tale” is an important aspect of the novel and the TV adaptation. The society of Gilead is presented as a theocracy, where the ruling class uses religious language and imagery to justify their oppression of women and their control over reproductive rights. The phrase “blessed be the fruit” is a prime example of how language is used to reinforce the power dynamics of Gilead.
For the Handmaids, the phrase “blessed be the fruit” is both a reminder of their duty and a way of finding solidarity with each other. In a society where women are isolated and pitted against each other, the shared experience of being a Handmaid and the recognition of their role as bearers of life creates a sense of camaraderie and sisterhood. By using the phrase as a greeting, the Handmaids are acknowledging their shared experience and reinforcing their identity as a group.
However, the phrase “blessed be the fruit” also has a darker side. The emphasis on fertility and reproduction reduces the Handmaids to little more than breeding machines, with no agency or autonomy over their own bodies. Their sole value is as a vessel for the child they will bear, and they are treated as disposable once their usefulness is over. The phrase “blessed be the fruit” is a constant reminder of this reality and reinforces the idea that the Handmaids’ worth is determined solely by their ability to bear children.
Overall, the phrase “blessed be the fruit” is a powerful symbol in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” It represents both the Handmaids’ shared experience and the religious underpinnings of the society of Gilead. The phrase is a reminder of the Handmaids’ duty and their worth as bearers of life, but it also serves as a warning of the dangers of a society that places too much emphasis on reproduction and controls women’s bodies.