Prohibition on alcohol and cigarettes for Handmaids

The Prohibition on alcohol and cigarettes for Handmaids is a foundational rule of the Republic of Gilead, designed to enforce the regime's control over women's bodies and pleasures. By denying Handmaids these substances, the state aims to strip them of former freedoms and reduce them to functional vessels for reproduction, while simultaneously creating a black market and moments of transgression that reveal the regime's hypocrisies and the Handmaids' small acts of resistance.

Legal Framework and Enforcement

The prohibition is absolute and enforced through multiple layers of surveillance and punishment. Handmaids are explicitly forbidden from possessing or consuming alcohol and cigarettes, as Offred notes: "For me, like liquor and coffee, they are forbidden" . The rule is part of a broader system of sensory deprivation that includes bland, healthy food and the absence of mirrors, makeup, and hand lotion. Aunt Lydia reinforces this by telling the Handmaids they must be "worthy vessels" and that they need to get their "vitamins and minerals" . The prohibition is not merely a health measure but a tool of social control, as the regime views these substances as dangerous distractions from the Handmaids' reproductive function. The rule is so ingrained that even the Commander, who can break other taboos, initially hesitates to offer Offred a drink at Jezebel's, saying "I'm not supposed to" before relenting with "Once won't hurt" .

Black Market and Hypocrisy

Despite the official ban, alcohol and cigarettes circulate freely among the ruling class, exposing the regime's hypocrisy. Serena Joy smokes openly in the sitting room, her cigarettes "must have come from the black market" , and the Commander drinks Scotch and water in his study . The black market thrives because those in power can access what they forbid to others. Nick, the Commander's chauffeur, has "a cigarette stuck in the corner of his mouth, which shows that he too has something he can trade on the black market" . This double standard reveals that the prohibition is not about morality but about maintaining hierarchy: the elite can indulge while the Handmaids are denied. At Jezebel's, the regime's secret club for officers, alcohol and cigarettes are freely available, and the Commander tells Offred, "No nicotine-and-alcohol taboos here!" , confirming that the rules are suspended for those in power.

Transgression and Resistance

For Handmaids, the prohibition creates opportunities for small acts of resistance that reclaim a sense of agency. Offred's desire for a cigarette is a recurring motif, representing a longing for the freedoms of her former life. When Serena Joy gives her a cigarette, Offred feels a surge of power: "I could shred it up and flush it down the toilet. Or I could eat it and get the high that way... I could burn the house down. Such a fine thought, it makes me shiver" (E01552-E01553). The cigarette becomes a symbol of potential destruction and escape. Similarly, the Commander's offer of a drink at Jezebel's is a transgression that Offred accepts, knowing it breaks the rules: "Secretly I like the idea, I haven't had a drink for years" . These moments of indulgence are not merely pleasures but acts of defiance against the regime's attempt to control every aspect of the Handmaids' lives.

Connection to Broader Control

The prohibition on alcohol and cigarettes is part of a larger system that denies Handmaids any form of bodily pleasure or autonomy. They are forbidden from using makeup or hand lotion, which are considered "vanities" , and must rely on butter to keep their skin soft (E00663-E00664). This deprivation is intentional: "We are containers, it's only the insides of our bodies that are important. The outside can become hard and wrinkled, for all they care, like the shell of a nut" . By stripping Handmaids of these small comforts, the regime reinforces their status as mere vessels. Yet the very existence of the black market and the secret indulgences of the elite show that the prohibition is not about purity but about power. The rule creates a system of haves and have-nots, where the Commanders and their Wives can enjoy what they deny to others, and where Handmaids must find covert ways to reclaim fragments of their former selves.