The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Book Info
- Title: The Handmaid’s Tale
- Author: Margaret Atwood
- Year: 1985
- Genre: Dystopian Fiction | Pages: 311 | Reading Time: 4-5 hours
The Story in Brief
In the near-future Republic of Gilead (formerly the United States), environmental disasters and plummeting fertility rates have led to a totalitarian theocratic regime. Offred (meaning “Of Fred,” indicating her ownership by Commander Fred) is a Handmaid, one of the few remaining fertile women forced to bear children for elite couples.
Offred lives in Commander Fred’s household with his wife Serena Joy, a former televangelist. Monthly “Ceremonies” require Offred to have ritualized sex with the Commander while lying between Serena’s legs. Women in Gilead are strictly classified: Wives (blue), Handmaids (red), Marthas (domestic servants, green), Econowives (poor men’s wives), and Aunts (who train Handmaids).
Offred remembers her previous life with her husband Luke and daughter, from whom she was violently separated during her escape attempt to Canada. She doesn’t know if Luke is alive or dead, or where her daughter is.
The Commander begins secretly meeting Offred in his study, playing Scrabble and giving her forbidden magazines. He takes her to Jezebel’s, an underground club where elite men visit sex workers. There, Offred encounters her friend Moira, who was captured trying to escape.
Meanwhile, Offred begins an affair with Nick, the Commander’s driver, arranged by Serena Joy (who wants Offred to conceive since the Commander is likely sterile). Offred falls in love with Nick.
When Offred’s shopping partner Ofglen reveals she’s part of the resistance, Offred learns there’s an underground movement. But Ofglen later commits suicide when discovered. The Eyes (secret police) come for Offred. Nick tells her they’re actually from Mayday (the resistance) and to trust them. Offred enters the van, not knowing if she’s being rescued or arrested.
The epilogue, set 200 years later at an academic symposium, reveals Offred’s story was found recorded on cassette tapes. Her ultimate fate remains unknown, though evidence suggests Nick helped her escape.
Key Characters
- Offred: The narrator and Handmaid, struggling to survive while retaining her sense of self and humanity
- The Commander (Fred): Offred’s master, a high-ranking official who seeks companionship outside prescribed roles
- Serena Joy: The Commander’s bitter wife, a former media personality now trapped in the system she helped create
- Nick: The Commander’s driver who becomes Offred’s lover and possible rescuer
- Moira: Offred’s rebellious best friend who attempts escape but ends up at Jezebel’s
Main Themes
- Totalitarianism and control: How authoritarian regimes use religion, fear, and surveillance to control populations, especially women’s bodies and reproduction
- Loss of identity and autonomy: The systematic stripping of women’s names, rights, agency, and individuality
- Resistance and survival: Finding small acts of defiance and maintaining humanity in dehumanizing systems
- The danger of complacency: How democratic societies can slide into tyranny when people don’t resist early warning signs
Key Takeaways
This story explores how quickly rights can be eroded when society faces crisis, and how easily fear can be weaponized to justify oppression. It demonstrates that totalitarian control requires not just force, but the complicity of ordinary people who believe they’re creating a better society. Most importantly, it shows that maintaining one’s humanity and hope, even through small acts, is itself a form of resistance.
Why It Matters
The Handmaid’s Tale has become increasingly relevant as a cultural touchstone for discussions about women’s rights, religious extremism, and democratic backsliding. Published in 1985, Atwood drew only on historical precedents, making the book a stark reminder that dystopia is built from real human behaviors. Its influence extends beyond literature into activism, with the Handmaid’s red robes becoming a symbol of protest against reproductive rights restrictions worldwide. The book remains essential reading for understanding how freedoms are lost incrementally and why vigilance in protecting civil liberties matters.