Language in The Handmaid's Tale

The language in the novel is very desciptive. The main character of the novel is trapped in a society where she is not allowed to speak freely. Therefore, most of the information we get is through the character's mind and thoughts about what she senses around her. There are many adjectives to describe what she sees, feels and smells. An example is when she escapes her room in the night and enters a room she is not allowed to be in: "The room smells of lemon oil, heavy cloth, fading daffodils..."(p 90). When the author decides to describe the senses in such detail, it makes the reader feel the same as the main charcter

 Colours are also often emphasised in this story. The main character has to wear red clothes and shoes, and other classes of women wear other colours. By repatedly emphasising these colours, the author wants us to be aware of the different roles these women have. Red can symbolise fear or passion, while blue can symbolise power and coldness.

In this society where the handmaids are not allowed to communicate, their language only consist of polite phrases such as " Praise be" and "May the Lord open". These phrases creates a distance between them.