Uplift the Lowly

Uplift the Lowly is one of the hymns sung within the Republic of Gilead, forming part of the regime's carefully curated religious repertoire. It is a piece of music that, like all sanctioned hymns, serves to reinforce the state's ideological messages of duty, redemption, and submission, rather than to function as a work of art or personal expression.

Occasion and Context

The hymn is most notably performed at the funeral of the Handmaid Ofkyle, also known as Crystal, who died in childbirth after being cut open to deliver a healthy son for Commander Kyle and his Wife, Paula. At this funeral, the legendary Aunt Lydia gives a speech in which she declares that Ofkyle "had made the ultimate sacrifice, and had died with noble womanly honour, and had redeemed herself from her previous life of sin." The singing of "Uplift the Lowly" at this event is part of the official narrative that transforms a coerced and fatal medical procedure into a voluntary act of piety and service.

Thematic Significance

The hymn's title, "Uplift the Lowly," encapsulates the Gileadean doctrine that women, especially Handmaids, can achieve spiritual elevation through suffering and obedience. The song is used to comfort the living and to justify the deaths of those who die in service to the regime. It is a tool of propaganda, designed to make the brutal realities of Gilead's social order—such as the death of a Handmaid during a forced birth—appear as noble sacrifices within a divine plan. The hymn thus functions as a means of social control, encouraging acceptance of one's lowly station and promising spiritual reward for compliance.