In Margaret Atwood's „The Handmaid's Tale“, „Blessed be the Fruit“ is a form of greeting between the people of the
Blessed Be The Fruit: This is essentially 'hello' in Gilead speak, and it's usually met with the response “May The Lord Open” (see below). Alongside being a greeting, it's also meant to encourage fertility – aka, that a Handmaid will be 'blessed' with the 'fruit' of a child.
It also has biblical ties to encouraging fertility, which is a main priority for the Commanders and their Wives (more on them later). “May the Lord open”: The classic response to “blessed be the fruit.” Again, it suggests that they're praying for God to bring fertility to Handmaids.
“May the Lord open”: the classic response to “blessed be the fruit.” It also suggests that they're praying for God to bring fertility to the Handmaid - asking God to 'open' the Handmaid's womb to a new soul.
If you are referring to the Catholic prayer to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ, which includes the phrase, “Blessed be the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,” then it is Jesus we are talking about. The child is the product of a woman's womb, hence : fruit.
Deuteronomy 7:13
He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.
Deuteronomy 28:4-12 NKJV
“Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
If a Handmaid conceives, then she is venerated (and envied) by many other women. She no longer has to take the walk or do chores; it is in fact considered risky for pregnant Handmaids to be out in public, in case something happens to the baby, or she is attacked by jealous women.
It's the standard greeting between people in Gilead, and it is supposed to mean that the people having the conversation are under God's watchful gaze and protection. However, when women use the greeting to each other, it gains another meaning. All of the women in Gilead are subject to the will of men.
According to the novel, Handmaids who are no longer fertile, or fail to become pregnant after three different Commanders, are sent to the Colonies - essentially a nuclear waste dumping ground. They are forced to clean this waste until they die. Pretty grim outlook there, but that's dystopia for you!
Birthmobile: A car that transports handmaids to another handmaid's birth. "Blessed Be the Fruit:" Gileadean for "hello." Handmaids use this line to greet each other to encourage fertility. The common reply is, "May the Lord open."
Because Gilead was formed in response to the crisis caused by dramatically decreased birthrates, the state's entire structure, with its religious trappings and rigid political hierarchy, is built around a single goal: control of reproduction.
The Fruit of the Holy Spirit (sometimes, incorrectly, referred to as the Fruits of the Holy Spirit) is a biblical term that sums up nine attributes of a person or community living in accord with the Holy Spirit, according to chapter 5 of the Epistle to the Galatians: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, ...
The rise of the Christian right in "The Handmaid's Tale" draws from American history. To depict the authoritative world run by the extremely religious right in "The Handmaid's Tale," Atwood drew upon history — mainly, 17th-century Puritan theocracy in America and the political climate of the country in the early 1980s.
Wives are dressed in modest dresses of varying shades of teal/blue, indicative of their supposed 'purity' as non-sinners (compared to the violent, but fertile, shade of red the handmaids wear).
Giving our firstfruits means giving our best to God. It means sacrificing something that costs us a little. It means putting God first, even before ourselves, or our family. Making a first fruit offering opens us up to allow God to work in our life.
The clothes traditionally worn by handmaids have become symbol of the oppression of women. The cap covers the woman's hair, and in many ways, her femininity. The bonnet obscures her face and identity, making her an anonymous figure used only to serve others.
The handmaids' identification tattoo is reminiscent of the concentration camps of Nazi Germany but also forces them to be aware, every time they see it, that they lack free will. Despite the fact that the handmaids are integral to Gilead's survival, they are accorded no privileges of person.
She is fiercely jealous of June, for whom Fred has repressed romantic feelings; she often punishes June unjustly simply to vent her jealous rage. She also feels inadequate because she cannot get pregnant, again taking it out on June.
So we know that infertility is a) global and b) affects everyone. But what's the cause? In The Handmaid's Tale, infertility is linked to another one of Gilead's prominent problems: pollution. As revealed in the season 1 episode "A Woman's Place," inorganic farming and radioactivity are to blame for declining fertility.
Wives are usually married to high ranking men in Gilead, such as Commanders, Angels and Eyes. Being a Wife is regarded as a high honor in Gilead. Only women perceived as being 'pure' and moral are given the 'privilege' of marrying. (Handmaids, for example, could never be Wives, due to their controversial nature).
Luke divorced his first wife and married June, which is how the authorities in Gilead justified taking away Hannah and forcing June to become a handmaid. They said that June and Luke's marriage was not valid because he'd had a divorce, therefore their relationship was adultery. Gilead does not recognize divorce.
Psalm 127:3 King James Version (KJV)
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: And the fruit of the womb is his reward.
The reference to the "seed of the woman" is believed by Christians to be a prophecy of the virgin birth of Jesus. They believe that elsewhere in the Bible, a child is referred to as the "seed" of his father, exclusively.
Unwomen are typically sent to the Colonies. “Under His eye”: How Handmaids formally say goodbye to each other in person.