The Handmaid's Tale

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The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood, Oryx & Crake (2003)
As Jimmy, possibly the last human alive, struggles to return the compound where he gets his supplies a world devastated by social inequality, genetic manipulation and terrible climatic changes is exposed. As the story unfolds, the mystery of how the world became the way it did, of how Jimmy’s friends Oryx and Crake were a part of that change, and how Jimmy, of all people, still survives, is revealed. Once again Atwood creates a terrifying vision of an all too possible future.

George Orwell, 1984 (1949)
The classic dystopia to which all subsequent novels in the genre have been compared is still effective today in its portrayal of a brutal, totalitarian society. Winston Smith, an employee of the Ministry of Truth, is a typical citizen of a tightly controlled future society. But then two people enter his life: one a woman, Julia, with whom he falls in love and has an affair—a crime in this society, and O’Brien, a man Winston believes shares his unhappiness with their life of oppression and who can introduce him to a secret society of rebels. What follows is a tragic and suspenseful tale of betrayal and sorrow.

Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 (1953)
Guy Montay is a fireman; it’s his job to burn books and even the houses that hold them, because reading and owning books is a crime in the near-future world that he lives in. But one day Guy accidentally reads a line from a book he is supposed to burn, and its imagery and meaning captivate him. Thus begins a chain of events that will affect Guy, his family, and ultimately the world in which he lives.

Julia Alvarez, In the Time of the Butterflies (1994)
Alvarez presents a fictionalized account of the Mirabal sisters: Patria, Minerva, Dedé, and María Teresa, who as revolutionaries who went by the code name “Las Mariposas” (the butterflies). They struggled against the tyranny of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, the dictator of the Dominican Republic. Through the voice of each sister their fight for freedom—despite the effects on their own personal lives—is detailed as they seek to prove that life is much more than just simple survival.

P. D. James, The Children of Men (1992)
In an England where there have been no births for over 20 years the last vestiges of democracy have been wiped out. While still calling itself an egalitarian society it is now controlled by the Warden of England, Xan Lyppiatt, and a very select group whose power only increases as the public’s apathy continues to deepen. But not all citizenry have given up. A rebel group known as the Five Fishes want reforms and approach Dr. Theodore (Theo) Faron, Xan’s cousin, in attempt to communicate their reforms to the new government. But their pleas only anger Xan, and he sets out to eliminate them. But then a miracle happens; Julian, one of the Five Fishes is pregnant, and suddenly the whole balance of power begins to shift in very unexpected ways.

Major Character List

The Handmaid's Tale

The Commander – one of the leaders that brought about the Republic of Gilead; Offred’s current assignment as Handmaid

The Commander’s Wife (Serena Joy) – the wife of the Commander and former televangelist; she is bitter and resentful of Offred

Cora – a “Martha”; the Commander’s housekeeper; careful of her position in the Commander’s household; occasionally befriends Offred

Luke – Offred’s husband from before the events that lead to the Republic of Gilead; as the story opens his fate is unknown

Lydia – an “Aunt”; the primary instructor at the handmaid’s “school”; the memory of her words and how she said them serve as a constant reminder to Offred of what type of person she is now supposed to be

Moria – Offred’s best friend from before the Republic of Gilead is established; she is much more outspoken and rebellious than Offred

Nick – The Commander’s chauffer; not high enough in status to rate a wife or a handmaid but often seems to have privileges he shouldn’t

Offred – a handmaiden; as the protagonist, The Handmaid’s Tale is Offred’s tale; born and raised before the rise of the Republic of Gilead, she is now a woman whose sole purpose is to serve as “breeding stock; her story connects the past with the present

Ofglen – a handmaiden; Offred’s official “partner” when she is allowed out of the household, and thus a person Offred assumes is assigned to keep an eye on her, just as Offred is expected to keep an eye on Ofglen.

Ofwarren or Janine – a handmaiden; Offred meets her at the “Handmaid” school; considered frivolous and untrustworthy

Rita – a “Martha”; the Commander’s cook, taciturn and outwardly disapproving of handmaids in general

Discussion Questions

The Handmaid's Tale

1. In at least one interview, Margaret Atwood has denied that The Handmaid’s Tale is a work of Science Fiction. Instead, she prefers the term Speculative Fiction. Do you think that is a valid distinction? Is this book a work of Science Fiction or not?
2. Is the build up to the formation of the Republic of Gilead believable? Do the event’s that precede its rise, the massacre of the President and Congress, seem possible?
3. Given the political climate in the 1980’s (when the book) was written, do you think an uprising such as the Republic of Gilead would be more likely to happen now than it seemed likely then?
4. Several times Offred admits that the story she is telling is a reconstruction and not always an accurate one at that. Do think that Offred is a reliable narrator? Is her account a valid representation of what is happening within her society?
5. The story is told entirely from the view point of one young woman, and while she occasionally discusses the lives of the other woman in Gildead society, very little insight is given into the lives of “ordinary” men. Do you think this is deliberate on the author’s part?
6. Is the ending of the story, “the historical notes” section, an optimistic or pessimistic ending? What do you think happened to Offred?
7. Aunt Lydia tells the Handmaids that there is a distinction between “freedom from” and “freedom to,” and not to underrate the former. Are there advantages to a “freedom from” society?
8. In The Handmaid’s Tale almost all of the characters have a hidden life. Offred and Nick have their affair, the Commander occasionally visits a brothel, and even the Commander’s Wife is willing to break the rules to get Offred pregnant. Do you think that this is deliberate on the part of the author, and if so, why?
9. Moria, Offred’s friend, enters and leaves the story at various points and assumes a variety of positions within Gilead society. What purpose do you think the author intends her character serve in this story?
10. Offred’s account is full of word play, both in puns and in her examinations of the multiple meanings a single word can carry. Why do you think this is? Is it related to the ban on women reading that has been imposed by this society?
11. There are many instances where Offred reflects on the nature of her story and how it might be told. Do you think the author is making a comment about the writing process itself?