a parlor, the kind with a spider and flies—an allusion to the nursery rhyme that begins with “Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly.” The parallel between the sticky web and Serena’s sitting room echoes the theme of entrapment and powerlessness.
Lily of the Valley—In the Song of Solomon 2: 1, the chaste bride refers to herself as “rose of Sharon” and “lily of the valley.” This seemingly erotic verse was allowed to remain in the canon works of the Bible after interpreters saw a parallel between Christ, the bridegroom, and his beloved, the Church. In gospel lyrics, the genders are reversed so that Christ becomes the “lily of the valley, the bright and morning star, the fairest of ten thousand.”
“Come to the Church in the Wildwood”—an enticingly idyllic gospel ‘hymn that depicts worship as bucoYic, innocent, and inviting.
Angels of the Apocalypse, Baptist guerrillas, Angels of Light—satiric parodies of holy war in which euphemistic names deflect the murderous intent of religious sects fighting for supremacy. The biblical vision of an Apocalypse, when the powers of darkness challenge the powers of light, appears in Revelation 8:2-11:19.
national resources—figuratively, fertile women.
Quakers—a pacifist religious sect that masterminded much of the Underground Railroad and helped escaped slaves elude patrollers as they followed the trail north to New England or Canada.
Children of Ham—a reference to black-skinned nations in Genesis 10:6, a passage that bigoted religious groups use as justification for racism.
National Homeland One—a parallel to schemes by Marcus Garvey and others who sought to resettle African slaves in their native land.
“Whispering Hope”—a familiar gospel hymn suggesting the fleeting hopes of Handmaids who may remain alive only if they conceive.
Compucount—a parody of modern credit cards.
Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth—the second half of Genesis 9: 1, God’s injunction to Noah and his family after the ark survived the flooding of the world to rid it of wickedness.
Beatitudes—a reference to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:311, a lyrical passage written in tight parallelism. Manipulative propagandists add “Blessed are the silent,” which Offred recognizes as a spurious interpolation.
“And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband”—Leah’s comment at the birth of Issachar, Jacob’s fifth son, Genesis 30:18.
papier poudre—a sheaf of thin paper sheets permeated with face powder. At the turn of the century, these matchbook-sized leaves of make-do cosmetics fit easily into a purse for a quick, surreptitious repair of a shiny nose or face.
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to know himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him”—II Chronicles 16:9, an analysis of military victory, which occurs through human dependence on God. The passage, as interpreted by Gilead’s cabal, justifies the use of the Eyes to spy on citizens.
“The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow”—an evocative line from Clement Moore’s A Visit from St. Nicholas (1823). Offred’s recitation of a verse from children’s poetry suggests a female breast, purity, her fall from innocence, vulnerability, and the cycles of the moon, symbolic of fertility.
