What does ‘Under His Eye’ mean in The Handmaid's Tale? Details from the Hulu drama, explored

The Handmaid's Tale is full of ostensibly harmless-sounding catchphrases whose entire meaning only reveals itself when read in the context of Gilead. The most prevalent of them, perhaps is "Under His Eye," an oft-repeated mantra in use throughout the whole Hulu series in greetings, goodbyes, and even in mundane conversation.

At first blush, it might be a generic spiritual sentence, the kind one would call upon to grab God's ear. But in The Handmaid's Tale's bleak world, nothing is ever exactly as cut-and-dried as it appears, and even the most mundane words are instruments of terror and deception. Since season one of The Handmaid's Tale, "Under His Eye" has been more than a metaphorical label.

It is the ultimate representation of existence under the rigid theocracy of Gilead, a world in which religion is distorted into an instrument for political repression. Though the words themselves may be nominally innocuous invocation of divine scrutiny, but they are accompanied by the more ominous shadow of the regime's secret police, or "The Eyes."

Whenever characters invoke it, they are invoking religion but reminding one another as well of the omnipresent surveillance that dictates their ordinary life in The Handmaid's Tale.

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The religious undertone of "Under His Eye"

In The Handmaid's Tale, the oppressive Gilead regime employs religious language to solidify its own system, and "Under His Eye" is the pinnacle of such a manipulative strategy. On its surface, it is a symbol that God is present everywhere, that whatever is done, God is not blind to what is done. This religiosity is supposed to reassure the faithful that they are in constant guidance or under constant monitoring.

But in the series, it's used to preserve obedience and order. It's used by characters as a religious reprimand but also to constantly enforce the ideology of Gilead, demonstrating how religion is enforced in the form that denies human beings personal freedom. The line is also paying homage to one of the larger themes of The Handmaid's Tale, the combination of religion and totalitarianism.

Outside of television, such lines would be equated with moralizing, self-awareness, or therapy. In Gilead, though, such lines are constant reminders that every gesture, every word, and even every thought must be phrased according to the state’s definition of religion. The convenience of "Under His Eye" reduces religion to looking, a culture in which religion is not something one can believe in but something one has to obey.

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The Eyes and their relationship with the phrase

The second implication of "Under His Eye" is the manner in which it immediately reminds one of Gilead's secret police, or merely "The Eyes." In The Handmaid's Tale, the Eyes envelop but are not seen, existing as part of society as ordinary people and also as regime informants. They are privileged to spy, report, and punish any suspected dissident.

When people say "Under His Eye," they are also politely deferential to this shadow power, reminding everyone and themselves that there are probably listeners around at all times. This doubles the impact of the phrase; it is simultaneously a religious acknowledgment and an implied surveillance. The Eyes are a prime example of how pervasive fear is within the everyday life of The Handmaid's Tale.

The citizens must police themselves at all times, never knowing who among them is part of the resistance and who is working undercover for the government. "Under His Eye" extends this paranoia to create a culture of suspicion. By equating the phrase with God's eye and also with human observation, Gilead makes its people believe they are under observation all the time, even when they are alone.

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Ritualized greetings in The Handmaid's Tale

Communication on a daily level in The Handmaid's Tale lacks option and agency and is replaced by ritualized salutations and farewells that form the foundation of the ideology of Gilead. "Under His Eye" is being employed as a habitual goodbye, and other hellos, such as "Blessed be the fruit," are being used as well. These word rituals are coercive rather than voluntary, and rigidly enforced, making day-to-day speech a conformity drill daily.

By requiring citizens to employ these words in day-to-day talk, the regime guarantees that normal conversation is filled with fidelity to the system. The formalised nature of language illustrates the way in which the government in The Handmaid's Tale conditions its citizens through small, mundane acts. A curt goodbye, such as "Under His Eye," is now an act of obedience, uttering submissiveness each time it is spoken.

Ultimately, the ritual suppresses individuality and discourages the expression of individuality for its sake of conformity. Through forcing these codes of words into line, Gilead essentially makes language a means of indoctrination so that citizens themselves unknowingly help spread the regime's ideology.

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Language as a weapon in The Handmaid's Tale

The ubiquitous repetition of "Under His Eye" serves to underscore one of the most inflammatory motifs of The Handmaid's Tale: language as a weapon of oppression. Not plain neutral speech, but highly constructed weapons of control, is speech in Gilead. Every time "Under His Eye" is mentioned, it cannot help but remind the public that the citizens are under surveillance all the time, whether by God or the Eyes.

This control over language, Gilead not only incorporates its ideology into government institutions but weaves it into the very way that citizens communicate among themselves. The series never fails to remind us that language generates thought. By compelling its citizens to speak within the context of "Under His Eye," Gilead limits the scope of their expression of individuality, of doubt, or disobedience.

Scriptures once used to reassured, embraced, and fantasized have been made a weapon of domination. The Handmaid's Tale demonstrates through those small things how oppression is not only by law and sanctions but by the words themselves that people can use.

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"Under His Eye" in The Handmaid's Tale is a slogan; it is a description of how language is used to limit. What could be religious sentiment is actually a modest reminder of God's eyes and human observation. By bracketing them, Gilead holds citizens under watch constantly, not merely with law, but with their own tongues. In its travels through "Under His Eye," The Handmaid's Tale demonstrates how culture swipes language from individuals and remakes it as a tool of control.

Each goodbye, each throwaway line, and each cliche aphorism is a small act of submission. It is for this reason that the line resonates so strongly in the Hulu series; it is not a hello, but a genuine consideration of how totally totalitarian governments can reconstruct even the most mundane elements of human existence.

Also read: What is The Handmaid’s Tale about?