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The Handmaid's Tale Summary

The Handmaid's Tale is set in the totalitarian society of Gilead, which has replaced the United States. The story is told by Offred, a handmaid assigned to bear children for the Commander and his wife Serena Joy. As a handmaid, Offred has few rights and her movements are heavily restricted. She recalls her life before Gilead, when she was married to a man named Luke and had a daughter. Offred develops a forbidden relationship with the Commander and also with Nick, the Commander's driver. By the end of the story, Offred's fate remains unknown as she gets into a van that may take her to freedom or imprisonment.

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188 views

The Handmaid's Tale Summary

The Handmaid's Tale is set in the totalitarian society of Gilead, which has replaced the United States. The story is told by Offred, a handmaid assigned to bear children for the Commander and his wife Serena Joy. As a handmaid, Offred has few rights and her movements are heavily restricted. She recalls her life before Gilead, when she was married to a man named Luke and had a daughter. Offred develops a forbidden relationship with the Commander and also with Nick, the Commander's driver. By the end of the story, Offred's fate remains unknown as she gets into a van that may take her to freedom or imprisonment.

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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is set in the Republic of Gilead, a theocratic and

totalitarian nation that has replaced the United States. The story is introduced as a handmaid
in Gilead named Offred, who is tasked with helping the Commander and Serena Joy, his wife,
have children due to extremely low reproductive rates. Offred is not her real name; it is
derived from adding "of" to the handmaid's commander's name, Frederick. Offred is forced to
have relations with the Commander during her childbearing time of the month, in a ritualistic
act where Serena watches while holding Frederick's hand.
Offred is bound to heavy restrictions, including not being able to leave the house on her own,
keeping her room door open, and being surveilled by Gilead's secret police, the Eyes. Offred
begins to tell the reader about her life in the old world before Gilead. She was raised by a
single mother who was also a feminist activist. The old world was riddled with readily
available pornography, prostitution, and violence against women. Offred had an affair with a
married man named Luke, who left his wife and married Offred. They had a daughter, but due
to the hedonistic society's rise, an authoritarian theocracy gave way to Gilead.
As Gilead was being formed, Offred and Luke tried to flee the country to Canada with their
daughter, but they were caught and separated at the border. Offred was sent to the Red Center,
a re-education camp, where she was taught Gilead's beliefs that women's sole purpose was to
have and care for children. She was taught to be a handmaid, with Aunt Lydia in charge of the
women. Offred befriends another girl at the camp, Moira, who eventually escapes. Offred is
then assigned to the Commander's house, where she is put into her restrictive routine.
Offred takes shopping trips with Ofglen, another handmaid, to the wall where they see rebel
bodies hanging. She visits the doctor frequently to be checked for disease. At night, she must
listen to the Commander in ceremony, where he reads from the Bible and then must have
relations with him. One day, Offred visits the doctor, who asks if she wants to have relations
to get pregnant, as he suspects the Commander to be infertile. She declines.
One night after ceremony, the Commander sends for Offred and they meet in his study
privately. These meetings continue, and the two talk, play Scrabble, and he lets her read from
old Vogue magazines, which is forbidden because women aren't allowed to read. At the end of
the meetings, he asks her to kiss him. During a trip, Offglen reveals that she is a part of
Mayday, a group leading a revolution.
At night, the Commander tells Offred about the new order of Gilead. Offred admits she's
unhappy, and the Commander retorts, "You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs."
Because Offred isn't pregnant, Serena suggests she have relations with Nick, one of the
Commander's drivers, and pass the baby off as the Commander's. Serena promises a picture of
Offred's daughter in return. Offred realizes Serena has known her daughter's whereabouts this
whole time.
The night the Commander takes her to Jezebel's, a strip club, Offred sees Moira working
there. The two meet in the bathroom, where Moira tells Offred that she was recaptured and
chose to work at Jezebel's instead of being sent to the colonies. When Offred returns, she
secretly sleeps with Nick, the two begin sleeping together frequently in secret. Offred begins
to enjoy the affair and forgets to gather information for Ofglen about the Commander.
Soon after, Offred is greeted by a new Ofglen on a trip. She learns the other Ofglen hung
herself when she got caught. When Offred gets home, Serena tells her that she will be
punished for going to Jezebel's. When she gets upstairs, she sees the Eyes' black van pull up.
Nick tells her to go, and she gets in, not knowing if she is headed for freedom or prison.
The novel then flashes to the year 2195, after Gilead has fallen. Professor Pxoto is lecturing
about Gilead and teaches the class the significance of Offred's story, which was found on a
cassette tape in Bangor, Maine. It was still unknown if she made it to freedom or was
recaptured.

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