The Colonies
A radioactive wasteland where Gilead sends its enemies to die.
The Colonies, often referred to by the Gilead regime as 'the toxic zones,' serve as the ultimate destination for those deemed irredeemable or dangerous to the state's social order. Located in areas contaminated by chemical and nuclear fallout from past wars, these wastelands are where Handmaids who resist their roles, dissidents, criminals, and 'gender traitors' are exiled. It is a place of forced labor and inevitable death, functioning as Gilead's method for quietly eliminating unwanted populations under the guise of environmental cleanup.
Quick Facts
- Purpose
- Exile and execution of dissidents
- Environment
- Radioactive and chemically contaminated wasteland
- Inhabitants
- Unwanted citizens
- resistance fighters
- former Handmaids
- Protection gear
- Heavy hazmat suits with limited air supply
- Fate
- Death via radiation poisoning or toxic exposure
- Affiliation
- Gilead Command (Enforcement)
Lore & Background
The psychological horror of the Colonies lies in their inevitability. Once a person is sent there, usually following a public ceremony or a secret arrest, they are stripped of their names and identities, becoming mere numbers in a dying workforce. The regime uses this threat to enforce absolute obedience among Handmaids and other citizens; the fear of being 'sent to the Colonies' is often more effective than physical punishment in maintaining control. It stands as a grim monument to Gilead's cruelty, where the environment itself acts as the executioner.
Reader's Guide
The Colonies function as Gilead's disposal site for political enemies and social outcasts. The atmosphere is one of silent desperation, where the landscape itself is an enemy. Workers are forced to clean up toxic waste without adequate safety measures, ensuring a slow, agonizing death from radiation sickness or chemical burns. Rules within this zone are absolute: no escape is possible, and resistance is futile as guards ensure compliance before leaving the perimeter.
The only 'rule' that matters is survival for as long as the protective gear holds out. Key events often occur off-screen in the narrative, serving as a looming threat rather than a setting for prolonged scenes. The primary function of the Colonies is to remove dissenters quietly without creating martyrs who might inspire rebellion within Gilead's borders. It is a place where the regime discards its failures and enemies, leaving them to be consumed by the very pollution that Gilead claims to fight.
Did You Know?
- The threat of being sent to the Colonies is frequently used by Aunts and Commanders to intimidate Handmaids into submission.
- Characters like Moira are revealed to have been taken there, highlighting the regime's brutality toward former allies.
- The area was likely contaminated during the wars that preceded Gilead's rise, making it uninhabitable for normal human life.
- Workers in the Colonies wear heavy protective suits, but these are often insufficient against long-term exposure.
More in World & Setting
Elsewhere in The Handmaids Tale
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