Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundum
A mock-Latin adult joke this time
If you are a fan like me then you will have no problem in recognizing the motto above. It has played an essential part in The Handmaid's Tale and has returned once more with the hanging of Fred’s dead body upon the wall at the finale of Season 4. It has also returned through the photograph that Serena is shown at the beginning of Episode 1 of Season 5.
And just in case you had forgotten the phrase had originally appeared carved into the closet wall of Offred/June’s bedroom at the Waterford home in Season 1. June was able to summon the courage to ask Commander Waterford — Fred — what the words meant. It seems such a long time ago both narratively and temporally in the real world.
If June had been in our world she would have had no need to ask Fred because she probably would — like so many women now — have had the words tattooed upon her body and ingrained upon her mind. Can you imagine the scene where as Fred was forcing himself upon June he would have seen the Latin phrase and now motivational motto. I think he would have had a problem.
The Latin motto is of course made-up. I mean literally made-up. Bastardes is not Latin and Carborundum is also non-existent except for in the minds of young schoolchildren — as Margaret Atwood has admitted — who liked making up Latin jokes. But…
