Fertility and sex
The handmaids are the representatives of this symbol.
Colour: Red
"She's a magic presence to us, an object of envy and desire, we covet her."
The colour red represents the menstrual cycle, menstrual blood and childbirth.
This shows how much Gilead and their people value fertility; it is seen as a privilege.
"She's come to display herself. She's glowing, rosy, she's enjoying every minute of this."
Red has also been seen as power in history, worn by rulers, etc. The Handmaid's power is the ability to bear children.
Flowers
The are the symbol of fertility and beauty.
The reason why flowers represent fertility, is that reproductive organs can be found within the plant's anatomy.
"Birth Day"
These two words are separated to show the significance of the Handmaids when they give birth.
"She's running to meet me, [...] and I begin to cry, [...] my mother comes in"
Offred's dreams show the importance of pregnancy and a mother and daughter relationship.
"Pleasure is an egg."
"If I have an egg, what more can i want?"
Eggs are a food in the Handmaids' diet, since they are a good source of protein and to encourage fertility.
This is a metaphor for a woman's uterus.
"The arrival of the inevitable egg"
She talks about her menstrual cycle.
"We are two-legged wombs, that's all: sacred vessels, ambulatory chalices."
They are an object with valued capabilities (childbirth).
Neologisms
Gravid - means pregnant; carrying eggs or young.