The Handmaid’s Tale: Every reason Serena Joy is more dangerous than Gilead admits

“Never mistake a woman’s meekness for weakness,” Serena Joy says in The Handmaid’s Tale.

Gilead is a scary place. There is nothing women can do there. Some people are in trouble simply because they love someone, or simply because they wish to feel free. Everyone is scared every day. Yet, even when the situation is this bad, one woman stands out - Serena Joy Waterford. She isn’t just powerful. She is smart. She feels things, too. Besides, nobody ever knows what she will do next.

At first, Serena looks stuck, too, in The Handmaid’s Tale. She is a Wife in Gilead who can’t have kids. She is caught in the world she helped make. However, as you see more, you realize the truth. Serena is more dangerous than people think in The Handmaid’s Tale. Even the leaders in Gilead don’t see it coming.

Let’s break down every reason why Serena Joy is a bigger threat than she seems in The Handmaid’s Tale.

The Handmaid’s Tale: Why Serena Joy is more dangerous than Gilead admits

1. She helped build Gilead, but pretends she is just a Wife

Before Gilead took over, Serena was a strong woman in The Handmaid's Tale. She gave talks, wrote books, and helped come up with the ideas that made Gilead. She thought women should stay at home and look after the kids. However, when Gilead became a reality, those rules took away her voice. Women couldn’t read, work, or be in charge anymore.

Still, Serena didn’t just go away. She pretended to be a quiet Wife, but whispered to Commander Waterford when no one else saw. She gave him ideas, told him what to do, and helped make big choices, without anyone noticing. She looked powerless, but she wasn’t, as portrayed in The Handmaid’s Tale.

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2. She uses her pain to win sympathy, then turns cold again

Serena is often shown crying or looking broken. She grieves because she can’t have children. She sometimes shows kindness to June, like letting her see her daughter. For a moment, it feels like Serena is human, maybe even a good person. Then, she switches persona in The Handmaid’s Tale. She can be really tough if need be.

Later, in Canada, she becomes the face of a new kind of Gilead. She uses her clothing, tears, and voice to win sympathy from the outer world. Her intelligence isn’t loud, but powerful. She knows how to win without raising her voice in The Handmaid's Tale.

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3. She wants power just as much as the men do

In Gilead, women have to be quiet and obedient but Serena doesn’t want to just stay in the background. She wants to influence laws, control her household, and push her own ideas in The Handmaid's Tale. Even when it is illegal, she writes policy documents and takes risks to be heard.

She doesn’t just follow her husband but often leads him, guiding his choices in secret in The Handmaid’s Tale. When he makes mistakes, she knows how to clean them up. Serena may live in a system run by men, but she finds ways to grab power anyway.

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4. She is ruthless when it comes to getting what she wants

Serena says she wants peace, family, and a child. However, the way she goes after these things highlights something darker. She forced June to sleep with Nick so she could get pregnant. She smiled at June one day, then threatened her the next.

As depicted in The Handmaid's Tale, she allows other women to suffer if it meant her own dream of motherhood could come true.

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5. She understands both worlds and plays both sides

Serena lived in the world before Gilead, and she helped build Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale. This means she understands both systems. She knows how freedom works and how control works, too.

She has a special kind of power. She knows how to smile for the cameras, talk to leaders from other countries, and sound kind even when she is being mean. When she is in Canada, she acts like a heartbroken mother. When she is back in Gilead, she uses religion and tradition to control others. She changes her face to fit the moment in The Handmaid's Tale.

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6. She is capable of change, but only when it benefits her

Sometimes, Serena seems to question Gilead’s rules. She allows June a little more freedom. She speaks kindly and even wonders if women should have more rights. These moments of “change,” however, are evident only when Serena is trying to protect herself in The Handmaid's Tale.

She doesn’t try to fix Gilead. She only wants her own life to be more comfortable. When the rules hurt her, she wants them to change. But when they hurt others? She says nothing. Her “growth” is an illusion.

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7. She can influence the future of Gilead, or destroy it

After Fred dies, Serena’s role changes in The Handmaid’s Tale. She becomes a mother. She loses her power, and then regains it. She moves between countries and gains support from those who see her as a leader. She could rebuild Gilead in her image, or burn it down. She doesn’t need weapons.

Her weapons are her charm, her mind, and her control over public opinion. Serena can lead a new kind of Gilead, or use her position to destroy the old one. Either way, her next move in The Handmaid's Tale will most likely shape the future.

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Serena Joy Is Gilead’s Silent Weapon

Serena Joy is not just the victim in The Handmaid's Tale. She is dangerous to society, a woman who knows how to survive, lead, and manipulate in a world that says she shouldn’t be able to do any of those things.

Gilead punishes women who read, speak, or think for themselves. Serena, however, plays by the rules just enough to stay alive, while secretly bending them in her favor. She helped build a cruel system, and now she is using it to rise higher.

In a world full of violence, Serena uses something even more powerful, which is influence. That makes her the most dangerous woman in Gilead and in The Handmaid’s Tale.