Short-wave Radio

The Short-wave Radio is a forbidden object in the Commander's study, a device that embodies the regime's control over information and the Commander's personal transgressions. In a society where news is strictly censored and the only permitted broadcasts are state propaganda, the radio represents a direct link to the outside world and a violation of the laws that govern Gilead. Its presence in the Commander's private space marks him as a man who, despite his high rank, indulges in the very materials the regime has outlawed.

Appearance and Context

The Short-wave Radio appears in the Commander's study during Offred's visits, a room already filled with other forbidden items like books and old magazines. The Commander keeps the radio as part of his private collection of contraband, which he uses to entertain himself and to demonstrate his power to Offred. The radio is not merely a device for receiving broadcasts; it is a symbol of the Commander's ability to operate above the law, accessing information that is denied to the general population, including the Handmaids.

Use and Operation

The Commander uses the Short-wave Radio to tune into Radio Free America, a station that broadcasts content critical of the Gilead regime. He displays this ability to Offred as a form of showing off, a way to prove his mastery over the world and his willingness to break the rules. The broadcasts he accesses include what he dismissively calls "all that filth about universal daycare," revealing his contempt for the very ideas of freedom and equality that the regime has suppressed. The act of turning on the radio is a deliberate transgression, a thumbing of his nose at the authorities he ostensibly serves.

Key Occurrences

During one of their evening meetings, the Commander turns on his Short-wave Radio, displaying before Offred a minute or two of Radio Free America. He does this to show her that he can, to demonstrate his power and his access to forbidden knowledge. After this brief display, he turns it off again, muttering about "Damn Cubans" and the "filth" of universal daycare. This moment is significant because it reveals the Commander's hypocrisy: he enjoys the thrill of breaking the rules but simultaneously expresses contempt for the content he accesses. The radio is a tool for his personal amusement and a prop in his performance of power for Offred.

Connections and Consequences

The Short-wave Radio is part of a larger pattern of the Commander's transgressions, which include keeping a collection of old magazines, playing Scrabble with Offred, and taking her to Jezebel's. These acts of rebellion are not motivated by a genuine desire for change but by a sense of entitlement and boredom. The radio, like the other forbidden items in his study, is a symbol of his privilege and his ability to operate outside the constraints that bind everyone else. For Offred, the radio is a reminder of the world she has lost and the freedom that is denied to her. It is a tantalizing glimpse of a reality that is both forbidden and unattainable.

Significance

The Short-wave Radio serves as a powerful symbol of the regime's control over information and the Commander's personal corruption. It highlights the hypocrisy of a system that preaches purity while its leaders indulge in the very vices they outlaw. The radio is also a tool for the Commander to assert his dominance over Offred, demonstrating his access to forbidden knowledge and his willingness to share it with her as a form of intimacy. Ultimately, the radio represents the fragility of the regime's control: even within the heart of Gilead, there are cracks through which the outside world can seep, and even the most powerful Commanders are not immune to the allure of forbidden information.