Serena Joy Waterford is a central and complex figure in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and its television adaptation. Initially presented as a proponent of Gilead’s “traditional values,” she becomes trapped and embittered by the very system she helped create.
The Making of a Matriarch: Before Gilead, Serena Joy was a public figure. In the novel, she’s recalled as a former gospel singer turned advocate for domesticity. The TV series expands her role, depicting her as a charismatic author and activist whose book, A Woman’s Place, becomes a cornerstone of Gileadean philosophy. Her hypocrisy is evident as she advocates for women to stay home while maintaining a public career. She actively participates in Gilead’s formation alongside her husband, Commander Fred Waterford, but her influence wanes once the regime is established, leaving her silenced and unhappy.
Motivations and Desires
Serena Joy’s actions are driven by a desire for motherhood, power, and a sense of purpose. Her infertility fuels her desperation for a child in a society where procreation is paramount. Her pursuit of power and influence, curtailed by Gilead, also motivates her actions, as does her religious conviction, which she uses to justify her choices. Ultimately, her desire for a child becomes a proxy for the power and status she lost, highlighting the complex interplay of personal desires and political realities.
Duality and Relationships: Serena Joy’s character is marked by a duality of cruelty and fleeting compassion. Her treatment of Offred/June is often cruel and manipulative, yet there are moments of vulnerability and even kindness, especially in the television series. Her relationships, including her marriage to Fred and her interactions with Offred and Nick, are largely transactional, driven by her need for power and a child. The TV series explores a more complex and evolving relationship between Serena and June, marked by shared trauma and an “intertwined” fate.
Symbolic Significance
Serena Joy’s garden and the blue attire of the Wives are rich with symbolism. Her garden, filled with fertility symbols, contrasts with her own infertility and reflects the distorted values of Gilead. The blue gowns, meant to signify purity and serenity, ironically clash with her often cruel and manipulative nature.
Evolution in the TV Series
The television series significantly expands Serena Joy’s character arc. She experiences the consequences of her ideology firsthand, enduring imprisonment, refugee status, and treatment mirroring that of a Handmaid. Her potential for change and redemption is debated, with some seeing her as a complex, conflicted figure and others as fundamentally self-serving. The series questions whether true change is possible for someone so deeply complicit in atrocities.
Serena Joy as a Feminist Conundrum
Serena Joy’s character poses a challenge to feminist analysis. She is a woman who empowers patriarchal oppression. She exemplifies how women use their positions of power to oppress other women. The text questions whether she subverts patriarchal power or reinforces it and serves as a critique of “power feminism” that prioritizes the advancement of individual women within existing structures.
Enduring Legacy
Serena Joy Waterford remains a compelling figure whose complexity and contradictions continue to provoke discussions. Her story explores the corrupting nature of power, the dangers of complicity, and the human cost of extremism.
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