That’s what makes her a perfect main character too.
If you have seen at least one episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, you know exactly how terrifying the universe that both the book and the show have created is. In a very near dystopian future, women are stripped of their rights and forced to endure all kinds of physical and psychological torture in order to save the world’s population.
While it was very important to show all sides of Gilead and the lives that people of different statuses had to endure, it was also important for the plot to find a character on which to base a story. She had to be someone strong enough to find the will to live and fight the system under such circumstances, and she had to have a past sordid enough to cling to.
Since viewers of the show were probably more captivated by the ongoing horrors, the reasons why June was the perfect Gilead victim may not have been as obvious. However, it may be necessary to keep them in mind in order to better reflect on the show.
On the surface, it may seem that June shouldn’t have been a Handmaid in the first place. She was already married before Gilead took over, and the marriage was baptized in a Christian church. She also had a daughter of her own, Hannah, and could have been considered a wife rather than a Handmaid.
However, since Gilead does not recognize divorce, and June and Luke’s marriage was the result of one, that made them both adulterers, unworthy of having children of their own.
There were other small signs that weighed on Gilead’s decision, all of which are simple markers of a modern woman. Instead of being a stay-at-home mom, June worked, and she made some mistakes in raising her daughter along the way, but nothing as serious as her marriage to Luke.
You could even say that June was paying for Luke’s past since he was the one who was married before but didn’t have to endure anything remotely resembling torture. As unfortunate as that is, that’s what Gilead is all about: punishing women for the reality that men have led the planet to.
If you’re interested in seeing what kind of finale awaits June and Luke, and if they can finally be together after the fall of Gilead, be sure to keep an eye out for more news and behind-the-scenes updates on The Handmaid’s Tale season 6.
