Summary Of The Handmaid's Tale: A Fictional Narrative

Lifting up the corner of the sheet, Frank motioned for her to join him. The distinguished looking man, teased, “Ah, come on, you can stay a bit longer.”

Neuman, Shirley. " 'Just a Backlash': Margaret Atwood, Feminism, and The Handmaid's Tale." University of Toronto Quarterly 75.3 (Summer 2006): 857-868. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism.

Audra forced herself to smile. “I am fine. Rory and I are to have a difficult discussion this afternoon and I’m concerned about it is all.”

She only has one chance to survive. Risking it all in hopes of having a better life. Will she take it or will she leave it. The novel The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood takes place in a dystopian society where a woman named Offred who to tries to adjust and adapt to this society; where she must undertake a certain role. Trying to survive in this society makes her do things not even she would think she would do. The characterization of Offred, flashbacks, and plot twists in the novel shows the quest for survival leads to chaos and doing the unthinkable.

In the novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood examines a conservative society in which women’s rights are completely restricted and women are valued only for their ability to procreate. The world depicted in the novel is an exploration of a possible future, where the former United States is controlled by a warped theocracy called the Republic of Gilead. This dark dystopian tale is seen through the eyes of the narrator, “Offred”, whose limited perspective still manages to reveal the impact the totalitarian regime has on society and the lives of its citizens. Atwood’s depiction of Offred’s best friend “Moira” offers up the novel’s most fascinating and tragic character. Under this oppressive regime, with it’s warped fundamentalist approach to religion, Moira undergoes a major transformation from strong-willed, independent woman to defeated, indifferent individual whose spirit is broken.

I am servant, the servant who will escort princess WenLu, the fifteenth daughter of Wei emperor, to her marriage. It will be a long, hard, treacherous journey. Three other servants, the princess and I will set off on horseback across the long, wide, unforgiving desert.

Margaret Atwood’s, The Handmaid’s Tale is a fictive autobiography which follows an uncomfortably familiar past and even more terrifying present. Gilead’s indoctrination and control over society prevents those in it from even thinking, which is why Offred’s rebellious and witty narrative is so poignant for the reader. Atwood uses a shift in narrative to illustrate Offred’s troubled present and unrestricted past. These flashbacks technique are sustained throughout the novel, asserting that this is Offred’s escape and way of rebelling against the authoritarian regime.

He walks through the ancient temple ruins searching for the thing he needed the most: the book of knowledge kept secret by the gods of Moria to save his dying wife. He steps over the broken cobblestones, walking deeper into the never ending labyrinth.

The Handmaid’s Tale begins with the narrator Offred. Offred belongs to the class of Handmaids, which are the fertile women forced to bear children for elite, barren couples. She starts by describing the gymnasium where she and other women have been sleeping and staying for long nights. Aunt Sara and Aunt Elizabeth are the ones that watch over Offred and the other girls, making sure that they don’t escape. The two aunt are not allowed to carry any guns, just the guard the ones who are allowed guns are the angels, but they are not to enter as the women are not to exit except twice a day for a walk. Offred only wishes she could speak to the guards to make a deal with her body and maybe then they would help her or let

The pain is worse than she expected. Wave after wave of tightening crashing on the shore of her endurance. She won’t cry out. Won’t give this moment the appearance of punishment. She stares at the bright lights above and listens to the school-mistress voice of the

The path ended abruptly at a brook, and for a while it became so lost beneath snapped twigs and decaying pine needles that navigating it was a matter of faith. Finally, the path reappeared and took a sharp turn. As we rounded the corner, I heard a strange and sudden sound—leaves rustling and then crunching footsteps. Elgar heard it too, I could see it in his eyes.

“It hurts badly. I wish this all would just stop Catherine” tears dripping onto my arms as I hugged her for comfort. Nothing could stop my father from drinking and then going in for the attack of the two women I loved most dearly.

“No, come in,” offered Ulrich. “It’s just supper. Carina and I have been spending a little time together.” He took a deep sigh. “All right, that’s not true. I’m actually quite mad for her.”

“Forget what I just said,” Siegfried Hummel added, “Anyway, since you now have my attention, what’s the story thus far?”

After dinner, Jiom asked Nivea to follow him, because they had something to discuss. Meg was told to return to her quarters. Nivea hoped that referred to a comfortable bedroom, and not locked in where she had originally found her. She followed Jiom like he asked, and they came into a well-decorated bedroom. When the door slid