Appearance: Blonde, thin lips, eyebrows in thin arched lines, blue, small nose, large face, smile lines. Her appearance shows her cold, elitist, personality on the outside.
“Now her face was on a level with mine. I thought I recognized her; or at least there was something familiar about her. A little of her hair was showing, from under her veil. It was still blond. I thought then that maybe she bleached it, that hair dye was something else she could get through the black market, but I now know that it really is blond. Her eyebrows were plucked into thin arched lines, which gave her a permanent look of surprise, or outrage, or inquisitiveness, such as you might see on a startled child, but below them her eyelids were tired-looking. Not so her eyes, which were the flat hostile blue of a midsummer sky in bright sunlight, a blue that shuts you out. Her nose must once have been what was called cute but now was too small for her face. Her face was not fat but it was large. Two lines led downward from the corners of her mouth; between them was her chin, clenched like a fist” (Atwood 15).
This is how the show portrays Serena Joy, however when I was reading the book I pictured her as as an older women because she couldn't not produce children.
Relationship to Offred: Wife of the commander, no compassion for Offred but needs her for a child, and no sympathy for anyone.Their relationship is complicated because Serena has feelings of dislike towards Offred but needs her to complete her family. Offred doesn’t really care for Serena but understands that Serena is jealous and has sympathy towards her as being a women in this society.
"My arms are raised; she holds my hands, each of mine in each of hers. This is supposed to signify that we are one flesh, one being. What this really means is that she is in control, of the process and thus of the product"(Atwood 93-94).
While I think the second image is a bit of an over exaggeration of the relationship between Serena and Offred I did want readers to visual the superiority that Serena holds over Offred as the Commander's wife.
Occupation now: Commander’s wife. Her cold facade and leading her past life with structure and high society makes her the perfect face to be a public figure for Gilead (structure and emotionless are key).
Occupation before Gilead: Church singer and anti-feminist activist)
Strengths: Higher status and has power over handmaid's, no sympathy for anyone allows her to be the perfect face for the Gilead society.
“If I’m caught, it’s to Serena’s tender mercies I’ll be delivered. He isn’t supposed to meddle in such household discipline, that’s women’s business. After that, reclassification. I could become an Unwoman” (Atwood 136).
Weaknesses: can’t produce children, cruel, selfish
Limitations: A woman in Gilead
Relationship to the government: Commander’s wife.
Gendering (meaning how does text describe the character as gendered): female but less female than handmaids because of her inability to have children.