Through Biographer

Red Clocks examines the questions around female autonomy, and what it means for a woman to have, or not have, control over her own body and life. Each of the main characters struggles against rules imposed by society, the government, and even biology in order to create fulfilling lives. The most obvious way the novel deals with this theme is around the issue of abortion. Lawmakers decided that abortion should be outlawed, and make receiving one a criminal offense. Women are no longer allowed to decide whether or not they want to carry their pregnancies to term, and instead are forced to either give birth to a baby they do not want, or seek an abortion in a termination house, which could be dangerous. The mender became pregnant before abortion was illegal, and so she was able to choose what she wanted to do with her baby. She "wanted to know how it felt to grow a human, with her own blood and minerals, in her own red clock," and so gave birth to Mattie. This was the result of her choice, and not because the law stated that it was what she had to do.

Each woman is confronted by her own set of social pressures that impede her sense of autonomy, and make her feel as if she must live her life a certain way. For Susan, this means being the perfect wife and mother, no matter how miserable she may be.