The Handmaid’s Tale
Lydia Clements , fuck to those in the dystopian company of Gilead in the Hulu seriesThe Handmaid ’s Talesimply as Aunt Lydia , is a frightening , menacing , extremely strict instructor to the handmaids . She is responsible for ensuring that they adhere to the linguistic rule of the nation , do their obligation , and keep up their indoctrination . She take concern of them when they are with child and punishes them when they intrust a purported sine .
While Aunt Lydia ’s backstory gave some view into why she is the way she is , and why she trust that the Gilead path of aliveness is the answer to societal problems , it still does n’t condone many of the horrify thing she has done .
Updated on October 14, 2022 by Christine Persaud:
Aunt Lydia has had one of the most interesting part arc inThe Handmaid ’s Tale . While she is ostensibly coming to a realisation that not all in Gilead is right and just , she still has plenty of malign bit to appear back on . Fans may start out to sympathize with Aunt Lydia , who could become a fierce ally for the handmaids still living in Gilead . But before this wakening , she made some crucial error that have fan questioning her character and humanity .
Reporting Noelle to Child Services
Despite being broken about Noelle , a female parent to one of her ground level 4 students pre - Gilead , being somewhat negligent , Lydia eventually form a well-disposed bond with her . She ’d have dinner with the mother and the boy Ryan , exchange Christmas gifts , and even confide in one another . While she turn up her nozzle at Noelle ’s behaviour , like working in a bar and date married human , she cast those aside for company .
That is until Lydia had an waking up after almost getting intimate with the school day principal and realizing her own weakness and shame . She claim matter into her own hands and reported Noelle to child help , note the frequent late plectron - ups , unhealthy luncheon , and dirty clothes on the child . Noelle was n’t a model single parent . But she also did n’t deserve to lose her son without being given a chance to adjust the doings , nor did the boy merit to lose his female parent and be send out into foster care .
Removed Janine’s Eye
Never , ever talk back to Aunt Lydia , or oppugn the arrangement , as she ’s easily one ofthe most nefarious characters inThe Handmaid ’s Tale . When Janine , one of the handmaid , did just that , she was penalise . Janine did n’t like the idea that handmaids , youthful and rich women , would be tasked with bear child for the barren wife of the Commanders . But Aunt Lydia did n’t like when anyone questioned her or Gilead , and she made an example out of the young charwoman .
To that , Aunt Lydia floor Janine with her trustworthy cattle prod and had her correct eye remove . look back after handle with almost losing Janine , it ’s clear Aunt Lydia has finally occur to recognise that it was wrong .
Blaming Janine For Being Assaulted
When Janine was forced to squeal her “ sins , ” talking about how she was sexually violate , Aunt Lydia turn it around on her . She told her that she brought the act on herself and made all the other handmaids consort and fault her . When face with a similar situation with Esther , Aunt Lydia , before trust the new girl ’s story , expect if she had done anything to hint to Commander Putnam that she was interested in employ in a sexual human relationship outside of the observance .
While it have Aunt Lydia seem brutal to say such a thing , especially to another cleaning lady , she truly believe she is right .
Sending Girls to the Colonies
When a miss simply ca n’t work as a handmaid , and is n’t slew out for being a Martha or has done something bad , she gets give ear or institutionalize away to Gilead ’s version of poky . It ’s cry the Colonies , a place where woman must undergo full days of non - stop hard labor in dread conditions .
Malnourished , desiccate , sickish with infections , sores , and other disease from the pollution and radioactive permissive waste , they are essentially commit there to work until they go . And it ’s Aunt Lydia who make the call about who and when they go . After Aunt Lydia indicate the handmaid a video of the Colonies as a scare tactic , the thought of going there for being a Gender Traitor was so frightening for Moira that she opted to become a Jezebel rather . Emily oversee to survive , but not before carry on with the abrasive conditions .
Having Handmaids Whipped
Aunt Lydia has enjoin countless handmaids to be whip until there are scars covering every inch of their tegument . June / Offred herself was taken back to the Red Center to be whipped on Aunt Lydia ’s order after she try and die to escape . As a meet punishment , Aunt Lydia had Aunt Elizabeth lash the sole of June ’s foot so she would n’t think about trying to escape again .
It was downright fell and show no respect for the handmaids as women or even as multitude . Indeed , multitude are not adequate under the eye of their jurisprudence , one ofthe most terrific law of nature in Gilead onThe Handmaid’sTale . Yet Aunt Lydia felt this was suitable punishment for the women she was tax with sustain and protecting .
Tased June
In a convulsion of anger after June quoted a bible verse line to Aunt Lydia in reply to her prompting that the handmaiden “ remember her scripture , ” Aunt Lydia began to violently taze June . First , however , she hit her with the cattle prod . Ironically , the violence was stopped by Serena who stepped in declaring that June was fraught . Once a handmaiden is pregnant , this is the only time Aunt Lydia will fawn over her like a special child and would never consider to suffer her .
This suggests Aunt Lydia views the handmaids as bare vessels , not literal human beings . It ’s further implied when she visits the hospital , infuriated that the subroutine to glean a nigh - death Esther ’s uterus was cancel .
Almost Hanging the Handmaids
Aunt Lydia has the handmaids take to an abandoned Fenway Park and made to endure in front noose , their heads inside . A lever is pulled , but nothing happens . It was all a panic attack tactics , designed to control that the handmaids would never speak out again . She saved them from being killed by guards when they failed to lapidate Janine to death for supposedly endangering a kid . But threatening death by hanging is cruel on its own .
panic attack maneuver are a common scheme use by Aunt Lydia who believes the women ask to be put in their place and simply do the jobs that God intended them to do , which is bear children .
Torturing Handmaids
After the aforementioned destruction by hanging fake - out , Aunt Lydia then had all the girls sit in the pouring rainwater , defend a rock . She locomote by each , one by one , fry them . Again , June / Offred was spared because she was meaning . But the other girls were not so golden .
She was n’t fetch up there , though . Once in spite of appearance and gazump smashed , each girl was chain to the stove , one by one as their wrists were cauterize . To Aunt Lydia , this penalisation is not too harsh at all when it comes to insubordination . One of thethings devotee might not have acknowledge about Aunt Lydia onThe Handmaid ’s Taleis that violence is one of her drive military force . It ’s yet another tactics she used that suggested she take in the cleaning lady like cattle , not like humanity .
Putting June Into Solitary Confinement
Just because June was significant did n’t imply that she was completely off demarcation line to punishment . Of course , Aunt Lydia would n’t dare physically harm her in that land . But she did have backup method . No servant was free from her anger , pregnant or not .
rather , she placed a defiant June , who had tried to escape a 2d sentence , in an empty way by herself until she was quick to mind . She was chained up , with just a seam to kip on and a flowered bed cover that kept her busy as she counts the flowers on it . Even Aunt Lydia should have acknowledge that putting her in such a accented genial United States Department of State would n’t be good for the baby , yet she had to ensure handmaiden were punished in whatever way they could be .
Beating Janine
While Aunt Lydia seems to have an affection for Janine at meter , she certainly does n’t show it at others . Infuriated when Janine not only broke protocol and approached the Putnams to hold her biologic daughter , but then also begged to go back to their home , Aunt Lydia began beat her uncontrollably .
June finally jumped in to protect Janine , who might very well have been beaten to death . This is n’t the first time viewers have seen Aunt Lydia prostrate to angry outburst , and it ’s clear it ’s something she struggled with pre - Gilead as well , as per the fit after her failed appointment when she smashed her hands into her bathroom mirror .
Mutilating Ofglen
While Aunt Lydia is n’t specifically shown to be the one to order this penalization , as the one in charge of the handmaid , she distinctly had something to do with it .
Considered a Gender Traitor , Ofglen , who was in a same - sexual practice union prior to being becharm , needed to be punished . But they do n’t require to pop her since she ’s rich . So the fitting punishment ? She is take to a medical readiness where she is squeeze to have a clitorectomy so she can no longer enjoy sex . Aunt Lydia , upon check her after the military operation , declared that Ofglen “ wo n’t want what she can not have . ” It ’s arguably theworst affair Aunt Lydia has done onThe Handmaid ’s Tale .
Leaving Esther With Commander Putnam
The turning point for Aunt Lydia was when she reluctantly left Esther with Commander Putnam in his power during Fred ’s funeral . The look on her face suggested she suspected what was going to take place but essay to ignore it . Later when it was let on that he sexually assaulted Esther , result in a pregnancy and Esther ’s attempted self-annihilation , Aunt Lydia arrive to full term with the fact that she had a role to toy in it .
Fueling the guiltiness was when Esther angrily screamed to Aunt Lydia that she recognize very well that every commander does it and just turns a blind eye , despite all her beliefs . It ’s this import that could commemorate a major modification for the character .
NEXT : One Quote That Sums Up Each Main Character ’s Personality On The Handmaid ’s Tale
