What is the meaning of the phrase “Blessed be the fruit” in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6?

The Handmaid
The Handmaid's Tale (Image via YouTube/@hulu)

The Handmaid's Tale, one of the most prominent shows, takes place in the future and this is specifically when fertility has dropped and as per the storyline, the former United States has been overtaken by Gilead's totalitarian regime.

Women in Gilead are oppressed and forced to take up certain roles. The roles include becoming "Handmaids" and giving birth to the elite's children. The story follows Offred, a Handmaid as she navigates this cruel environment.

In Gilead, "Blessed be the fruit" is more than just a greeting. It symbolizes the dehumanization of women by society and with this, it also illustrates how the government uses religion to convince people. This is done to convince them that it is morally okay to force women to have children.


Additional details about the unqiue phrase in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6

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Every Tuesday, Hulu releases new episodes of Season 6 of The Handmaid's Tale. While Serena contemplates changes, June, Luke, and Moira battle to overthrow Gilead in the final season. In Gilead's last chapter, tensions increase due to dramatic turns, ambiguous alliances, and individuals dealing with difficult personal and political issues.

"Blessed be the fruit" is one of the most common salutations in the show. The phrase is a condensed form of the biblical phrase and can easily be found in Luke 1:42. It is a biblical blessing for a woman's ability to conceive. However, in Gilead, it serves to highlight how crucial reproduction is to their rigid, theocratic society as seen on the show.

Women in Gilead are primarily regarded for their reproductive abilities. The greeting "Blessed be the fruit" reminds the Handmaids of their primary role. As seen on the episodes of the famous show, their main role includes childbearing.

The term also highlights Gilead's perverse use of religion that first praises a woman's fecundity but ultimately exploits, oppress and controls women. The officials of Gilead use religion to defend the abuse of women by claiming that their suffering serves a sacred function.

Edited by Sarah Nazamuddin Harniswala