Character Analysis: The Handmaid's Tale

Offred struggles with her new life, stating, “I want to be held and told my name. I want to be valued, in ways that I am not; I want to be more than valuable. I repeat my former name; to remind myself of what I once could do, how others saw me” (Atwood 97). Offred is emotionally run down. She misses her husband Luke and the way he made her feel. Offred spends most of her days wondering about her husband Luke, and daughter. She wonders if her husband is dead, made it across the Canadian border, or was captured. Although Offred never finds out Luke’s life status, Serena Joy offers to tell Offred some information regarding her daughter. Consequently, Offred must sleep with Nick and conceive a child in spite of receiving the information. As long as the Commander believes he is the father of Offred 's child, no problems will arise. Offred 's decision is unconventional and risky, both for herself and Nick. If Nick and Offred are caught, they will be executed. However, her unorthodox decision pays off. Serena Joy obtains a photograph of Offred’s daughter and informs Offred that her daughter is now around eight years old and has been adopted by a family loyal to the regime. Offred is informed that her daughter is alive and in safe care. The new information provides Offred with a sense of relief.

She is kept alive for purely that reason in the first chapters, as the story progresses and she is invited into the Commander's office, where they play Scrabble and he reveals to her hidden or contraband aspects of the new society, such as fashion magazines and cosmetics, which he allows her to read, an activity otherwise prohibited for women. In these meetings Offred is treated more humanely than she has in years. She's treated more like a human should instead of a slave to her own body and “Commander”, which is suggested in her name in of its self, which means “of Fred”, conceding the point that the Commander's name is

Atwood demonstrates a sense of hatred and jealousy within Serena Joy, which is directed towards Offred as she is unintentionally an intruder and is invading Serena Joy’s private life. Eventually, this jealousy enables Serena Joy to try to obliviate Offred by “fixing it up with Nick”. Also, Serena Joy indicates that she is willing to “help” Offred by showing her a “picture”, “something you want”. However, all these actions are a result of Serena Joy’s self-interest and her manipulative personality, “there’s a hint of her former small-screen mannequin’s allure, flickering over her face like momentary static”. Consequently, Atwood highlights Serena Joy’s “roguish” actions caused by jealousy and a desire for revenge upon the very person who has been deprived her of possession of the Commander; she deliberately withheld the news of Offred’s lost daughter and the photograph that Offred has been longing for.

Throughout the novel, Offred demonstrates unorthodox behavior through her actions and her thoughts. One action that proves she is an unconventional character is when she meets the Commander in his office. Handmaids and Commanders are supposed to have strictly a business relationship. When Offred breaks that code of conduct, her life is left hanging in the balance. Not only did Offred commit this offense once, but multiple times: “The second evening began in the same way as the first. I went to the door, which was closed, knocked on it, was told to come in” (Atwood 155). Once Offred enters the room, the commander and she play games and start to get to know each other. Offred also has many unorthodox thoughts. During Offred’s walks accompanied by Ofglen, they exchange some information about the Underground Femaleroad: “’ It’s a beautiful May Day, ‘ Ofglen says. I feel rather than see her head turn towards me, waiting for a reply” (Atwood 43). Offred replies and she explains that as she sees Ofglen leave, Offred feels as though she is looking in a mirror. Offred and Ofglen are the same person. Offred shares many of her unorthodox activities with the

In this passage, Offred is still relatively new and getting used to her surroundings. However, even in her day-to-day conversation, the reader can still get a sense of how limited her words are, again, due to the lack of freedom. For instance, as passage four states in Offred’s conversation with Ofglen, “’Blessed be the fruit’ she says to me, the accepted greeting among us. ‘May the Lord open,’ I answer, the accepted response.” Just by the few words spoken, the reader can depict the amount of power men pose over these women. Along with this, near the end of this passage Offred states, “I enjoy the power: power of a dog bone, passive but there”, the “power” she speaks of is how certain men are not able to touch her and she enjoys it, she knows this and moves her hips a little, which represents the dog bone reference. This however, in not near as much the amount of power a man, such as the Commander

In the book, the Commander is seen as basically self-incriminating himself once Offred is taken away. Also, towards the end of the book, Offred almost gives up and accepts her role in this new society so she doesn’t get into trouble.

Offred’s newfound occupation constricts her, making her a slave to her commander. While observing women tourists, she notes on their clothes, “I used to dress like that. That was freedom” (28). During the pre-Gilead times, she was able to dress however she wanted, not batting an eye. There was once

Although he is a high-ranking official in this new society, he rebels by initiating an inappropriate relationship with Offred. “I raise my hand, knock, on the door of this forbidden room where I have never been, where women do not go. Not even Serena Joy comes here” (Atwood 136). The Commander’s relationship with Offred is inappropriate because society believes the Handmaids and Commanders are not meant to interact with each other except at the Ceremony when the only thing that occurs is aloof intercourse. The Commander initiates this unorthodox relationship by inviting Offred into his study to play Scrabble and allowing her the luxury of reading magazines during each get-together. Nick, the household Guardian, also becomes an accessory to the two lovebird’s

Her belief gives her a false sense of security as well as her unwillingness to rebel due to fear of the Eyes. Her conversations with others are "Praise be," "Blessed be the fruit," and "May the Lord open" it is difficult for Offred or any women to really have a meaningful conversation for fear that anyone is a spy. Everything that Offred does is now part of the norm of society. She doesn't question her duties just does what is expected of her. As Offred begins a secret relationship with Nick she believes she has reclaimed a tiny piece of her past. She becomes addicted to the small amount of companionship from Nick, causing her to turn a blind eye to the injustices going on around her. She feels empowered because it was her own choice. When in reality she did what was expected of her. Using her body in order to produce a child.

The commander can be seen as a man torn between two worlds, he was one of the founders of Gilead yet still enjoys and yearns for the pleasures of the old society he managed to break. The commander is cool and collected on the surface but underneath he is bitter and corrupted for the world he has managed to create. The commander secretly longs for the world to be as it once was and this is why he savours his time with Offred because she may remind him of life before Gilead. It is also ironic how both characters feel under the surface an anger and repression of Gilead and they both want to break free. However on the surface when they play scrabble with

Her relationship with the commander is transient--one of convenience and necessity. Her feelings for him are ambiguous, and confusing even to her. She muses: "I ought to feel hatred for this man. I know I ought to feel it, but it isn't what I do feel. What I feel is more complicated than that. I don't know what to call it. It isn't love" (76). So we see that Offred sets up this relationship as the antithesis of romantic love--a foil for her relationships with both Luke and Nick. It is forced: a physical act devoid of desire, and in it she feels dominated and trapped. How she describes herself in relation to this situation, even at her most empowered (when she is with him in her office), is very revealing. Calling herself "an attentive pet, prick-eared and eager to perform" (238), she tolerates this relationship for the tiny bit of power it can afford her in this dystopic society. And yet, there is something more to this, because she admits to taking an interest in their social interaction: "I don't love the commander, or anything like it, but he's of interest to me, he occupies space, he is more than a shadow" (211). This last

“Waste not, want not. I am not being wasted. Why do I want?” (Atwood 7). From stealing butter for lotion to playing Scrabble with the Commander, plainly, Offred is unorthodox. The Republic of Gilead controls how much knowledge each caste is allowed; this is one way of controlling people and keeping order. Despite being condemned to this society and commanded not to read, Offred reads anyways. Offred’s actions show her dislike of

Although Offred accepts the standards and criterions of her society, she keeps her individuality and refuses to forget the past. She remembers having had an identity of her own and strives to hold on to it as best as she can. She puts a claim on her temporary room in her Commander's house; it becomes a sanctuary for her true self. Her room becomes a place of

Throughout the novel, Offred articulates a variety of stories which prove to be crucial for her survival. Specifically, the majority of her narratives center on her daily occurrences in Gilead which range from shopping with Ofglen to discovering various trifling details while exploring her room. While these stories may appear trivial at first, upon closer examination one can see that Offred’s retelling of these events acts as a survival strategy for keeping her sane and safe amidst the maddening society she resides in. Due to the restrictive nature of Gilead, Offred’s life is filled with constant paranoia and uncertainty; there is a relentless air of secrecy which

Offred's purpose is to serve the Commander and his wife, Serena Joy. When Offred is at the crucial point in her menstrual cycle when she is most fertile, the Commander must have passionless sex with Offred in order to accomplish the objective of impregnating her. This is Offred's third attempt; she was not successful with the two Commanders before this one. If Offred fails again she will be declared an Unwoman and sent to the colonies for hard labor. Offred's freedom is completely restricted. She can not have the door to her room totally shut, and she can leave the house only on specific purposeful trips such as to visit the wall or for purchasing grocery items. All the while, Gilead's secret police forces, known only as ‘Eyes', are scrutinizing every move she makes.