While watching the first season of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” my heart raced with panic as June held her daughter Hannah in her arms tightly while she and her husband, Luke, fled the savagery of Gilead.
Sprinting through the woods, June and Hannah were caught and torn from one another in a scene every mother would be haunted by forever. In that instant, Gilead made clear its control over women and children.
In this patriarchal society on “The Handmaid’s Tale,” women were torn from their past lives, separated from their children and forced to fulfill duties. Handmaids — women who were assigned a child-bearing role based upon their reproductive capacity — were raped at the hands of their commander and his wife. The Hulu series is based on the 1985 Margaret Atwood novel of the same name.
The final season of the series, which is airing now, has proven especially timely amid the Trump administration. As the White House assesses ways to persuade women to have more children, Gilead feels closer to reality than ever before. Our government is being dismantled, and control of our bodies and our reproductive rights are being stripped from us without our consent — just like the handmaids. Our access to equal employment opportunities will fade as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) disappears from all aspects of our lives — and our children will grow up in a world where diversity is now criticized, placing children from marginalized communities at a disadvantage.
At the beginning of Season 6, June (Elisabeth Moss) and Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) embarked on their journey toward safety together. With tensions rising in Canada, they boarded a refugee train separately, each seeking safety: June fleeing Gilead after recently being the target of a hit-and-run attack and Serena fleeing the consequences of her controversial position in Gilead. I wondered if their past would render them incapable of supporting one another; June was once a victim of abuse in Serena’s home. But now, each of them had a baby to care for, and they were all each other had.
“I don’t know if I can be alone again,” June admitted as she resisted Serena’s willingness to help with her daughter Nichole while withstanding the brutal impacts of her recent attack.
“I know you don’t want my help; I realize that. And you don’t have to accept it, and I understand that, too. But God would want me to help. I need to — after everything,” Serena replied, acknowledging all that June had done for her, including helping her give birth at the end of Season 5. New to motherhood, Serena understood the unspoken alliance among mothers — and finally, June accepted.
But like June and her motherhood community in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” we can seek strength in numbers. June is an example of how to find courage in unprecedented times. I recall her ability to unify women into a resistance capable of delivering Nichole to a free world. She proved that no amount of darkness can break the loyalty among mothers. Our children’s well-being is important to not just us, but to every mother, and that brings me comfort in our ever-changing reality.
At the end of Season 5, in a dilapidated barn in the middle of No Man’s Land, Serena and June saw past their differences, with June even setting aside the violence and sexual abuse she endured. Their opposing statuses in the totalitarian society of Gilead dissolved, and, for a moment, it was as if they’d met in a birthing class and become friends in a free world. Two women, once in conflict, bonded in the realm of shared motherhood.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Luke (O-T Fagbenle) revealed that he had arranged for Serena to be detained by immigration officials and for child protective services to take Noah. Justice had finally been served, but despite an underlying desire for revenge, June felt terribly wrong — because as mothers, we deeply feel one another’s pain.
As the first episode of Season 6 concluded, the other mothers aboard the train to Alaska realized who Serena was and violently turned on her. The women failed to adhere to our motherhood pact as they sought revenge because amid an atmosphere where our rights are threatened and our children’s well-being is at risk, it’s easy to lose focus on our goal.
These are the times we must support one another most, even those who have made mistakes and are trying to make amends, because we’re stronger together. And when we’re strong, our children will be, too. June, understanding the motherhood pact, once again helped Serena escape safely with Noah.
In motherhood, there is a common understanding that we protect one another’s children, and in doing so, we protect mothers, too. In Episode 2 of Season 6, Serena found refuge in a community of women and children who take her in despite knowledge of her past. It’s a prime example of our motherhood alliance. What is best for the children rises above any preexisting disagreements or mistreatments. In a show that pits women against one another in a dystopian battlefield, these scenes reveal our reality; mothers will go miles for one of our own, especially if it benefits a child.
By Episode 4 of Season 6, we see the mama bear in June thriving. As Luke prepared to fight with Mayday, June refused to stay behind.
“Of course I want to fight. Hannah’s there,” she explained.
Luke suggested they go to Gilead together — to fight for Hannah. June was initially skeptical of their ability to save her, but Luke asserted that anything is possible.
“I got you back. You’re alive,” he said, as evidence that even the impossible can become reality. And with those words, June regained hope for Hannah, for the women at Jezebels, for all mothers and children.
“You make it look simple — just always choosing the brave thing,” Rita said to June in Episode 6 as they reunited over breakfast in New Bethlehem. Any mother in June’s position would have had the same response: “Well, Hannah’s still out there.”
Like June, our courage to demand change — and to give our children the world they deserve — can be ignited by the maternal instinct to protect our children. Let “The Handmaid’s Tale” be our warning to never forget the unspoken pact of motherhood — or the red dresses and white bonnets may become ours.
“The Handmaid’s Tale” is streaming on Hulu, with new episodes every Tuesday.
Read the full article here
