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When exploring symbols in any novel, there are several different functions these symbols may serve. In the novel The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood many of the symbols are used as literary ironic elements. Atwood carefully chooses her symbols in The Handmaid's Tale to portray the many contradictions that are present in the Gilead Society. By using the symbols ironically, the reader recognizes a deeper meaning behind them. More importantly, insight is gained on why these ironic symbols work so well in the novel. The symbols that show a large amount of irony in The Handmaid's Tale vary from setting, to clothing, to spoken language. The location of the novel, set in what used to be Harvard University, along with the Handmaid's given colour of red and the massive amount of Bible imagery, it is simple to understand the ironic and paradoxical meaning behind these subtle yet significant symbols. An initial symbol that is introduced early on in the novel is that the Handmaids are all dressed in red. Once the reader discovers what the Handmaids' purpose is in the Gilead Society the colour seems appropriate and fitting. Red is the col