The Handmaid's Tale

The conclusion of The Handmaid's Tale remains ambiguous. Offred is taken away by the Eyes, but it's unclear if she is being arrested or rescued. The novel ends with a "Historical Notes" section,...

In The Handmaid's Tale, an "Unwoman" is the lowest societal status for women in Gilead, often infertile or rebellious, and are exiled to toxic Colonies. An "Unbaby" refers to infants born with...

In The Handmaid's Tale, Handmaids are chosen based on evidence that they can produce healthy, living children. They are also forced into the role based on presumed "crimes" against Gilead.

In The Handmaid's Tale, mirrors symbolize the removal of personal identity among the handmaids, as they are denied clear self-recognition and individuality. Flowers symbolize fertility with an ironic...

In The Handmaid's Tale, Eyes are secret police officers in Gilead that are put in place to help maintain control and order in the society. The Eyes are to report any suspicious activity or signs of...

In The Handmaid’s Tale, the state of Gilead was established by a group called the Sons of Jacob. They took power after killing the American president and Congress.

Atwood's uses the pun "Pen is envy," which mirrors the Freudian term “penis envy,” to underscore that people who can freely use and control the pen are envied by others who are controlled themselves...

Margaret Atwood uses satire in The Handmaid's Tale to critique societal norms and political ideologies. Through a dystopian narrative, she highlights issues such as the oppression of women, the...

The primary conflict in The Handmaid's Tale is between individual freedom and oppressive societal control. Offred struggles against the totalitarian regime of Gilead, which strips women of their...

In The Handmaid's Tale, the red tulips symbolize fertility and the hope of new life in a repressive society. They also represent the blood and violence underlying the regime's control over women. The...

"The Ceremony" is a euphemism in The Handmaid’s Tale that conceals the brutality of state-sanctioned rape by presenting it as a solemn, spiritual practice. Gilead uses such euphemisms to mask its...

In The Handmaid's Tale, Marthas are called Marthas to remind them of their subordinate positions as servants in the new social order. The term "Martha" comes from the New Testament story in which...

Three examples of wordplay in The Handmaid's Tale are found in the quotes "habits are hard to break," "lay is always passive," and "Date rape, I said. You're so trendy. It sounds like some kind of...

Gilead is a miserable place for everyone, but men do not suffer as much as women. Men retain autonomy over their bodies, while women are reproductive slaves. Men are deprived of emotional expression...

In The Handmaid's Tale, after a Handmaid has a baby, her baby is soon taken away from her, and she will be assigned to a new Commander. She will never get to see her baby again but will be spared the...

The three epigraphs in The Handmaid's Tale are from Genesis 30:1-3, Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal," and a Sufi proverb. Genesis introduces the theme of using women's bodies for reproduction....

In The Handmaid's Tale, Serena Joy's smoking signifies her willingness to exploit her privileged position for personal gain. Despite the strict rules of Gilead, she circumvents them by obtaining...

The Handmaid's Tale can be said to be postmodern due to its unstable reality and subjective truth.

In The Handmaid's Tale, Moira is pivotal as a symbol of rebellion and resistance against Gilead's oppressive regime. Her outspoken and politically aware nature contrasts with Offred's initial...

In "The Handmaid's Tale," fear is a crucial tool for social and political control in Gilead. Offred, the protagonist, constantly fears punishment, execution, and exile to the colonies. The lack of...

The garden in The Handmaid's Tale symbolizes the restricted roles of women in Gilead, where even influential women like Serena Joy are reduced to tending flowers. It represents a false façade of...

The moral message of The Handmaid's Tale is the fragility of democracy and the ease with which freedoms can be lost. Atwood effectively conveys this through a dystopian future that mirrors historical...

The Handmaid's Tale and The Road are both about dystopian societies that are extremely repressive of their main characters, who have to struggle to survive in the face of great odds. Unlike The...

Though Atwood never provides a specific answer as to what caused infertility in Gildead in The Handmaid's Tale, in a fictitious historical note at the end of the book, a future commentator speculates...

Wives wear blue in The Handmaid's Tale because it is the color of purity. The modest costumes that they wear are derived from the Virgin Mary, who was traditionally portrayed in religious iconography...

The repetition of "night" in The Handmaid's Tale symbolizes freedom and rebellion. During the day, Offred follows society's strict rules, but at night, she can reflect on her past and act freely....

In The Handmaid's Tale, it is likely that the Commander is sterile. This is suggested when Offred's gynecologist offers to impregnate her, implying the Commander cannot father a child. Offred, who...

In "The Handmaid's Tale," the plastered-over part of Offred's ceiling once held a chandelier, removed after a previous handmaid used it to hang herself. This spot symbolizes Offred's entrapment, as...

The novel argues that freedoms can be lost quickly if individuals become complacent, emphasizing vigilance in political matters to prevent such loss. It also illustrates the soul-crushing nature of...

Moira serves as a symbol of resistance and defiance in contrast to Offred's survival-focused demeanor. In The Handmaid's Tale, Moira embodies the autonomy and freedom that Offred yearns for in their...

The Handmaid's Tale has only been banned once, and that decision was overturned by a local school board. It has been challenged numerous times, with parents citing the sexual violence, the misuse of...

In The Handmaid's Tale, Ofglen hanged herself. The narrator, Offred, finds this out from the new Ofglen, the Handmaid who's taken the old Ofglen's place. Apparently, the old Ofglen committed suicide...

The Handmaid's Tale uses metaphors and allusions as key literary devices. Metaphors, like Offred comparing herself to inanimate objects, highlight women's dehumanization in Gilead. Allusions include...

Margaret Atwood's use of cassette recordings in her novel symbolizes the feminist theme by highlighting how women's voices are often mediated and doubted. The narrative is filtered through a male...

Two motifs in The Handmaid's Tale are the manner of walking and the Wall. Walking, especially for handmaids, is constrained by heavy clothing, symbolizing women's subordination and loss of freedom,...

The most obvious similarity between the two books is that both The Handmaid's Tale and Brave New World have a future setting. They both take place in a time when people have given up on current...

Gilead is a colonizer of the bodies of women, much like the West was in control of many other countries' land, resources, and people. A postcolonial lens allows for this comparison to be made.

Offred’s mother has a lot of knowledge and beliefs that are representative of the main idea in A Handmaid’s Tale. She also is the one who tells Offred about how easily society can be changed and how...

Vocabulary lists for The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood can be found on Vocabulary.com, which includes forty words from different chapters, each linked to definitions and novel quotations....

Moira is a character in this novel who represents the kind of freedom and independence that Offred wishes she has. Moira is an old university friend of Offred and the only mention that she makes of...

The "Colonies" in "The Handmaid's Tale" imply a dystopian reality where parts of the world are toxic due to war and upheaval, serving as penal colonies for dissenters. This concept mirrors historical...

Cora panics upon finding Offred on the floor because she fears Offred might have run away or harmed herself, recalling the previous handmaid's suicide. Her initial reaction is to drop the food tray...

The female character most deserving of sympathy is subjective, often influenced by personal experiences. Offred is sympathetic for losing her previous life and loved ones, yet her passivity may...

In both "The Handmaid's Tale" and The Stranger, individuals face societal constraints that limit genuine autonomy. Meursault's lack of emotional expression and existential detachment in The Stranger...

The 1980s saw significant social issues, including gender inequality with the defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment and the rise of women in the workplace. Economic disparities widened, while AIDS...

Both The Handmaid's Tale and The Catcher in the Rye explore themes of societal control and individual struggle. In The Handmaid's Tale, the regime imposes strict control over women, while in The...

Serena Joy's character in The Handmaid's Tale is shaped by her past as a prominent televangelist and her current position as the Commander’s wife in Gilead. Her former influence contrasts with her...

Analyzing "The Handmaid's Tale" through a Marxist lens reveals the class struggle and exploitation of labor. The handmaids, akin to the proletariat, are exploited for their reproductive capability,...

The Handmaid's Tale transforms the concept of "utopia" by presenting Gilead as a utopia for its male rulers, who enforce a society where women are subjugated and used as reproductive slaves. While...

The Handmaid's Tale is a 1985 dystopian novel exploring themes of women's oppression and identity.