According to Greek mythology the color red, especially on a rose, has stood the test of time, to represent love and fidelity. A red rose given to your lover is a common practice in today's culture as in cultures long before our own. In The Handmaid's Tale, written by Margaret Atwood, the color red is used symbolically throughout the novel in describing many emotions, stretching far beyond fidelity. .
Tulips in particular help identify time as well as the main character, Offred's, emotional state. " the daffodils are now fading and the tulips are opening their cups, spilling out color. The tulips are red, a darker crimson towards the stem, as if they have been cut and are beginning to heal there." (Atwood 12) Atwood begins this novel by describing the new tulips; these new flowers suggest that it perhaps it is the middle/end of spring. The color described by Offred by suggests her own feelings of being hurt, and finding her place in her new lifestyle, and she too, may be beginning to heal. .
Another instance Offred portrays her feelings about the world around her is described, "The tulips along the border are redder than ever, opening, no longer wine cups, but chalices; thrusting themselves up, to what end? They are, after all, empty. When they are old they turn themselves inside out, then explode slowly, the petals thrown out like shards."(Atwood, 45) This foreshadowing instance can be interpreted as one of the main themes of womanhood in this novel. The women (handmaids) are like these tulips; they are empty waiting to be filled. Later in the novel, the commander " doing his duty." (Atwood, 95) try's to impregnate Offred on a regular basis because children are highly valued. After the women either have children, or do not, they metaphorically are turned inside out and explode, their petals, discarded. This powerful display of symbolism ads great perspective in understanding Offred's thinking of the society in which she lives.
