For every character in “The Handmaids Tale” that stands out for their actions and words, there is one in the background, a quiet, yet complex character who is yet to be realised. Rita Blue, so exquisitely portrayed by Amanda Brugel is that character.
From the first moment that Rita Blue comes to the viewers attention in episode one of series one, kneading the home-made bread in the Waterford’s kitchen as June comes to her for the shopping vouchers, we see a woman who is focused on surviving. She ‘keeps her head down’ and gets on with her jobs. But as we progress through six seasons of “The Handmaids Tale” we see a new Rita emerging. The six seasons gift us glimpses that she is a woman who has more to her than we realise.
Who is Rita Blue?
Quiet and complex, Rita is the embodiment of the struggles of the ‘Martha’ class in Gilead. She is a domestic servant, tasked with performing the essential duties of the household. Rita keeps the home, providing a sense of normalcy in the patriarchy of Gileads oppression. While her role is limited, her interactions and the subtlety in the defiance she occasionally shows, reveal the precarious position she holds. She walks a line; a fine line between obeying and resisting.
Survival and Complicity
The centrality to Rita’s character is her navigation of survival within the structures of Gilead hierarchy. While she has more freedoms than a handmaid, those freedoms come with surveillance and heavy restrictions. Risk to life is everywhere.
Rita must comply with the rules although that compliance is pragmatic in a sense. Rita understands that rebellion could mean loss of life, but her compliance should not be confused with an acceptance of the Gilead regime. Rita has difficult choices to make. She must learn under authoritarian oppression that there is a time for submission, a time for silence and still a time for resistance, all get, covertly.
This duality of Rita shows a compelling side to her character. She embodies the theme of complicity versus resistance, a major undercurrent throughout the series. While the Wives and Handmaids often occupy the narrative foreground, Marthas like Rita represent the vast majority of women caught in the machinery of Gilead — neither fully complicit villains nor heroic rebels, but survivors making impossible choices.
Rita’s Resilience
Rita has a strength that is quiet yet unmistakable. There are no open challenges to Gilead. There are no grand speeches. However, Rita’s actions show a determination, one that builds throughout the entirety of ‘The Handmaids Tale’ six seasons. That determination is to protect herself and others.
Rita also has a power that others do not have. A Martha’s power is subtle. Connections with other Martha’s and households provides valuable information. Of course, she can also navigate her commander’s home. She is quite literally, hidden in plain sight. Her power does not come from overt defiance as June Osborne’s does. Rita’s power exists in survival strategies, small acts of kindness, and the preservation of dignity in the face of dehumanisation.
Rita’s interactions with June and other characters prove this. She offers support in discreet ways and sometimes helps smuggle information or supplies. These small acts are significant; they contribute to the broader resistance network in Gilead and challenge the regime’s attempt to control every aspect of women’s lives.
Rita’s Humanity Amidst Dehumanisations
A compelling aspect of Rita’s character is the maintenance of her humanity amid the systemic brutality and dehumanisation of Gilead. While the regime tries to reduce women to assigned roles erasing their individuality, Rita proves that there are complex humans under these oppressive labels. Through personal interactions and her own vulnerability, we see Rita’s own hopes, fears and developing relationships.
Part of Rita’s humanity is reflected through the camaraderie with other Marthas and occasional conversations about life before Gilead. The conversations reveal the shared grief and loss experienced by women across the social spectrum.
The Symbolism of the Martha Role Through Rita
Rita’s role as a Martha is symbolically significant. Marthas are the invisible labor force in Gilead, the women who keep the regime’s domestic sphere functioning but whose voices are rarely heard. You have heard the phrase, “hidden in plain sight,” well, that’s the Marthas. Through Rita, the show critiques the erasure of women’s work and presence in society, a theme relevant both within the fictional world of Gilead and in real-world gender politics.
The Martha uniform, the dull green dress and cap, visually marks them as separate from Handmaids and Wives, emphasising the rigid social stratification of Gilead. Rita’s character thus becomes a symbol of those women pushed to the margins, whose labour sustains the system even as they stay powerless.
Yet, Rita’s subtle acts of rebellion and her enduring spirit complicate this narrative. She shows that even those considered invisible can wield influence, create change, and resist oppression in ways that may not be immediately obvious but are nonetheless vital.
Rita Blue in Contrast to Other Female Characters
Rita’s character provides a stark contrast to the Handmaids, especially June. Where June is often loud, fiery, and openly rebellious, Rita embodies a quieter form of resistance. This contrast enriches the show’s portrayal of women’s varied responses to trauma and oppression.
Additionally, compared to the Wives like Serena Joy, who wield social power but are also constrained by Gilead’s patriarchy, Rita has almost no formal power. Yet her ability to endure and manoeuvre within her limited role challenges the assumption that power only exists in high status or authority.
This complex and layered portrayal of women highlights the complexity of survival in Gilead. It emphasises that resistance takes many forms and that every woman’s story — whether a Handmaid, Wife, or Martha — contributes to the collective narrative of endurance and hope.
Conclusion
Though Rita Blue may not be the most prominent character in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” her role as a Martha reveals profound truths about the nature of power, survival, and resistance under tyranny. Through her quiet strength, pragmatic survival tactics, and subtle defiance, Rita embodies the plight of many women trapped in oppressive systems — women who must find ways to survive without losing their humanity.
Rita’s character reminds viewers that heroism is not only found in grand gestures or loud protests but also in the everyday acts of endurance, kindness, grace, integrity, and courage that keep hope alive. As such, Rita Blue serves as a vital part of the rich tapestry of female experiences portrayed in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” offering a voice to the often overlooked yet essential women who sustain the fabric of society — even under the harshest conditions.
