The Handmaid’s Tale
Crash Course
❖What is The Handmaid’s Ta
❖Characters
❖Themes and Symbols
❖ Storyline In Terms of Them
and Symbols
❖Key Quotes
❖Literary Essay In Context of
, What is The Handmaid’s Tale?
❖ Dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood
❖ Set somewhere between 1970s and 2000
❖ Religious fundamentalists overthrow US government
❖ New society called “Gilead”
❖ Handmaids forced to conceive children due to infertility of wives of le
due to radiation
❖ Story told from perspective of a handmaid, Offred
❖ Story jumps between before Gilead and now (during Gilead)
,Roles in Gilead – useful to write down
Commanders: leaders of Gilead
Commander’s Wives: wife of commanders, most
are infertile
Eyes: Spies, can be anyone
Angels: High-ranking soldiers, fight in war
Guardians: Police, not as important, can be
promoted to Angel
Aunts: Most powerful women, teach and train
handmaids
Marthas: Servants at Commanders houses
Handmaids: procreate with Commanders, run
errands, recruited for fertility
Econowives: lower class, can be a servant or
handmaid
Unwomen: widows, nuns, disobedient women
,Key Characters – Useful to write dow
❖ Offred
❖ Ofglen
❖ Janine (Ofwarren)
❖ Moira
❖ The Commander
❖ Nick
❖ Luke
❖ Serena Joy
❖ Aunt Lydia
, Offred
❖ Narrator – tells her story from her
perspective *first-person narrator
❖ We do not know her real name
❖ Pre-Gilead: husband (Luke) and daughter
❖ Handmaid
❖ Tried to flee when Gilead started, was
caught
❖ Characteristics:
❖ Witty, Dark Sense Of Humour
❖ Resourceful
❖ Intelligent
Themes:
❖ Rebellious
All themes
❖ Feminist
❖ Strong-willed
❖ Distrusting/ Cautious
❖ Insensitive
Crash Course
❖What is The Handmaid’s Ta
❖Characters
❖Themes and Symbols
❖ Storyline In Terms of Them
and Symbols
❖Key Quotes
❖Literary Essay In Context of
, What is The Handmaid’s Tale?
❖ Dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood
❖ Set somewhere between 1970s and 2000
❖ Religious fundamentalists overthrow US government
❖ New society called “Gilead”
❖ Handmaids forced to conceive children due to infertility of wives of le
due to radiation
❖ Story told from perspective of a handmaid, Offred
❖ Story jumps between before Gilead and now (during Gilead)
,Roles in Gilead – useful to write down
Commanders: leaders of Gilead
Commander’s Wives: wife of commanders, most
are infertile
Eyes: Spies, can be anyone
Angels: High-ranking soldiers, fight in war
Guardians: Police, not as important, can be
promoted to Angel
Aunts: Most powerful women, teach and train
handmaids
Marthas: Servants at Commanders houses
Handmaids: procreate with Commanders, run
errands, recruited for fertility
Econowives: lower class, can be a servant or
handmaid
Unwomen: widows, nuns, disobedient women
,Key Characters – Useful to write dow
❖ Offred
❖ Ofglen
❖ Janine (Ofwarren)
❖ Moira
❖ The Commander
❖ Nick
❖ Luke
❖ Serena Joy
❖ Aunt Lydia
, Offred
❖ Narrator – tells her story from her
perspective *first-person narrator
❖ We do not know her real name
❖ Pre-Gilead: husband (Luke) and daughter
❖ Handmaid
❖ Tried to flee when Gilead started, was
caught
❖ Characteristics:
❖ Witty, Dark Sense Of Humour
❖ Resourceful
❖ Intelligent
Themes:
❖ Rebellious
All themes
❖ Feminist
❖ Strong-willed
❖ Distrusting/ Cautious
❖ Insensitive
