Tabitha and Agnes Jemima

Tabitha, the adoptive mother of Agnes Jemima, rescued her from a castle of wicked witches and loved her unconditionally, but her death from illness left Agnes orphaned and vulnerable to the machinations of her stepmother Paula.

Identity and Introduction

Tabitha was the first Wife of Commander Kyle, a high-ranking official in Gilead. She was a beautiful but thin woman, with a persistent cough that hinted at her underlying frailty. She was not Agnes's biological mother; she had chosen Agnes from among a group of children, a story she told as a fairy tale about a locked castle, a magic ring, and a flight through a forest from wicked witches. This story, which Agnes loved to hear repeated, was a comforting fiction that masked the truth of Agnes's origins: she had been taken from her birth mother, a Handmaid who had tried to escape Gilead with her. Tabitha's love for Agnes was genuine and deep, but it was built on a foundation of necessary lies to keep her safe.

Life and Plot Trajectory

Tabitha's life was one of quiet devotion to Agnes. She spent hours playing with her, including with a detailed dollhouse that mirrored their own home, complete with a Commander doll who, like her real father, would vanish into his study. She taught Agnes to be honest with herself, a lesson that became ironic given the lies she told about her origins. Each night, she would tuck Agnes into bed with her favorite stuffed animal, a whale, and they would sing a prayer-song together: "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep." Tabitha's voice was like a silver flute, and Agnes could almost hear it years later. As Tabitha's health declined, she spent more time "resting" in her room, and the Marthas began taking trays up to her. Agnes was not allowed to visit much, and when she did, the room no longer smelled of her mother's light, sweet scent but of a stale, dirtied stranger. Tabitha would hold Agnes's hand and ask if she was being good and happy, and Agnes would always say yes. She prayed for her pain to be over soon, a prayer that was answered by her death two nights later.

Key Actions and Objectives

Tabitha's primary objective was to protect and cherish Agnes. She created a world of love and security within the confines of Gilead's oppressive society. She told Agnes she was "doubly chosen": first by Tabitha herself, and then pre-chosen to marry a Commander. She gave Agnes a sense of worth and belonging, even as she hid the truth of her past. Her actions were driven by a desire to shield Agnes from the harsh realities of her origins and the dangers of the regime. She was a model Wife, enduring her suffering without complaint, as the Marthas noted. Her final act of love was to pray for her own death to end her pain, leaving Agnes with a final, desperate plea: "Whatever happens, I want you to always remember that I have loved you very much."

Relationships and Conflict

The central relationship in Tabitha's life was with Agnes, whom she loved without question. This love was a source of comfort and stability for Agnes, but it also created a conflict when the truth of Agnes's origins was revealed. Tabitha's relationship with her husband, Commander Kyle, was distant; he was often absent, shut in his study. After Tabitha's death, Commander Kyle married Paula, a widow who had been involved in a scandal involving her first husband's death. Paula quickly took over the household, wearing Tabitha's magic ring and treating Agnes with coldness and hostility. The Marthas, Vera, Rosa, and Zilla, were loyal to Tabitha and tried to protect Agnes, but they had no power to change her fate. The conflict between Tabitha's loving memory and Paula's cruel reality defined Agnes's adolescence.

Change and Ending

Tabitha's death marked a profound change in Agnes's life. She felt as if a piece of her heart had been cut off. The world became wavering and uncertain, and she was left feeling motherless and vulnerable. Her father's remarriage to Paula and the revelation that Tabitha was not her biological mother compounded her sense of loss and betrayal. The story of the "Concubine Cut into Twelve Pieces" taught at school reinforced her fear of being a disposable object. Tabitha's death was the catalyst for Agnes's eventual decision to become an Aunt rather than marry Commander Judd, a choice that led her to Ardua Hall and a life of service, though one shadowed by the secrets and power struggles of the Aunts.

Thematic Significance

Tabitha represents the possibility of genuine love and kindness within the brutal system of Gilead. Her relationship with Agnes demonstrates that even in a society built on oppression and lies, a mother's love can be real and transformative. However, her death also illustrates the fragility of such love in the face of the regime's power. The lies she told to protect Agnes, while born of love, ultimately contributed to Agnes's sense of dislocation and betrayal when the truth emerged. Tabitha's story is a testament to the power of maternal love as both a source of strength and a potential source of pain, and it underscores the novel's exploration of the ways in which women navigate and resist the constraints of their world.