Margaret Atwood

Coral Ann Howells

Key Features: Study methods Introduction to the text Summaries with critical notes Themes and techniques Textual analysis of key passages Author biography Historical and literary background Modern and historical critical approaches Chronology Glossary of literary terms

Notes

The Handmaid's Tale

Provocative, startling, prophetic, and more relevant than ever, The Handmaid's Tale has become a global phenomenon. Now, in this stunning graphic novel edition of Margaret Atwood's modern classic, the terrifying reality of Gilead is brought to vivid life like never before. "Everything Handmaids wear is red: the colour of blood, which defines us." Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, where women are prohibited from holding jobs, reading, and forming friendships. She serves in the household of the Commander and his wife, and under the new social order she has only one purpose: once a month, she must lie on her back and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, ecause in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if they are fertile. But Offred remembers the years before Gilead, when she was an independent woman who had a job, a family, and a name of her own. Now, her memories and her will to survive are acts of rebellion. The Handmaid's Tale and its iconic images - the red of the Handmaids, the blue of the Wives, the looming Gileadean Eye - have been adapted into a film, an opera, a ballet, and multi-award-winning TV series. This groundbreaking new graphic novel edition, adapted and featuring arresting artwork by Renée Nault, is destined to become a classic in its own right.

Tatum Miller

Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some.

But if you happen to be a man, sometime in the future. and you've made it this far, please remember: you will never be subject to the temptation or feeling you must forgive, a man, as a woman.

But this is wrong, nobody dies from lack of sex. It's lack of love we die from. There's nobody here I can love, all the people I could love are dead or elsewhere. Who knows where they are or what their names are now? They might as well be nowhere, as I am for them too am a missing person.

I wanted to feel Luke lying beside me, but there wasn't room.

In this multi-award-winning, bestselling novel, Margaret Atwood has created a stunning Orwellian vision of the near future. This is the story of Offred, one of the unfortunate "Handmaids" under the new social order who have only one purpose: to breed. In Gilead, where women are prohibited from holding jobs, reading, and forming friendships, Offred's persistent memories of life in the "time before" and her will to survive are acts of rebellion. Provocative, startling, prophetic, and with Margaret Atwood's devastating irony, wit, and acute perceptive powers in full force, "The Handmaid's Tale" is at once a mordant satire and a dire warning. "From the Hardcover edition."

Yvette

I don't want a man around, what use are they except for ten seconds worth of half babies. A man is just a womans strategy for making other women.

They were paintings about suspended animation; about waiting, about objects not in use. They were paintings about boredom. But maybe boredom is erotic, when women do, for men.

Demi

It's like Janine, though, to take it upon herself, to decide the baby's flaws were due to her alone. But people will do anything rather than admit that their lives have no meaning. No use. No plot.

MARGARET ARWOOD

THE HANDMAID'S TALE

Keira 💫

His skin is pale and looks unwholesomely tender, like the skin under a scab.

They didn't think to actually check her 🧍🏻‍♀️

Last week they shot a woman, right about here. She was a Martha. She was fumbling in her robe, for her pass, and they thought she was hunting for a bomb. They thought she was a man in disguise.

He looks at me, and sees me looking. He has a French face, lean, whimsical, all planes and angles, with creases around the mouth where he smiles. He takes a final puff of the cigarette, lets it drop to the driveway, and steps on it. He begins to whistle. Then he winks.

One of the women was called Serena Joy. She was the lead soprano. She was ash-blonde, petite, with a snub nose and huge blue eyes which she’d turn upwards during hymns. She could smile and cry at the same time, one tear or two sliding gracefully down her cheek, as if on cue, as her voice lifted through its highest notes, tremulous, effortless. It was after that she went on to other things. The woman sitting in front of me was Serena Joy. Or had been, once. So it was worse than I thought.

They colour code everything. So naturally if one was to kill the commander's wife and wear her clothes... No one would realize...? Or maybe they would because it is the commander's wife after all. 

There are several umbrellas in it: black, for the Commander, blue, for the Commander’s Wife, and the one assigned to me, which is red.

The door of the room – not my room, I refuse to say my – is not locked.

I get up out of the chair, advance my feet into the sunlight, in their red shoes, flat-heeled to save the spine and not for dancing. The red gloves are lying on the bed. I pick them up, pull them onto my hands, finger by finger. Everything except the wings around my face is red: the colour of blood, which defines us. The skirt is ankle-length, full, gathered to a flat yoke that extends over the breasts, the sleeves are full. The white wings too are prescribed issue; they are to keep us from seeing, but also from being seen. I never looked good in red, it’s not my colour.

The bell that measures time is ringing. Time here is measured by bells, as once in nunneries. As in a nunnery too, there are few mirrors.

Umm??? This is depressing? But also relatable. 

We learned to whisper almost without sound. In the semi-darkness we could stretch out our arms, when the Aunts weren’t looking, and touch each other’s hands across space. We learned to lip-read, our heads flat on the beds, turned sideways, watching each other’s mouths. In this way we exchanged names, from bed to bed: Alma. Janine. Dolores. Moira. June.

sam kruczek

I thought that this book was good when I read it 

Lexy 

Karis Ryu

Spooked, in the best way. Subtly, but powerfully shaken.

I'm in love with Atwood's prose. She blends the five senses to create images that are bizarre, even grotesque, yet provide vivid looks into Gilead, especially the inherent sexuality, in every person, every flower, of a world that tries so hard to repress it, only to create new perversions. Each time you learn something, Atwood is also holding a hundred more things back. And the ending of the novel, the format of it and the reimagining of the story through a whole different lens that requires a whole different way of reading, writing, and thinking, blew me away. I will definitely be reading this novel multiple times to glean details and insights that I know I missed.

An instant classic when it was published in 1985, Atwood's genre-bending, dystopian story comes to life in this new, beautifully illustrated graphic novel. Margaret Atwood's best-loved novel has taken the world by storm again. Riding high on bestseller lists for months and the basis for Hulu's Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning smash hit series, The Handmaid's Tale is everywhere--and it's primed for a stunning new graphic novel adaptation. The story is iconic: In the Republic of Gilead, a Handmaid named Offred lives in the home of the Commander, to the purpose that she become pregnant with his child. Stripped of her most basic freedoms, (work, property, her own name), Offred remembers a different time, not so long ago, when she was valuable for more than her viable ovaries, when she was mother to a daughter she could keep, and when she and her husband lived and loved as equals. Darkly prescient, scathingly sarcastic, and eminently frightening, The Handmaid's Tale has only gained relevance since it was originally published, and remains one of the most powerful, widely read stories of our times. This illustrated edition is a must-have for Atwood's growing legions of fans.

The Handmaid's Tale (Graphic Novel)

Connor J. Daley 

This is a quick read due to it being a graphic novel, however it’s filled with such beautiful and impactful art by Renée Nault that I didn’t want it to end. The ink and watercolors are spellbinding, and the use of red throughout really sold me on it overall. I will certainly read it again just to spend more time looking at every single drawing. 

I feel like the art and the chosen writing kept the theme intact and for me that makes this an ultimate win. 
I would absolutely recommend.

Cheri Fuller

I found this book mostly fascinating and terrifying. With our current political and religious culture this could be a possible future. 

I loved the prose and Claire Danes was perfect as narrator. I would absolutely read it again. Maybe with my eyes next time. 

I did have to take a short break because it was so heavy emotionally. That's not to say there's much in the way of emotional writing because the narrator, Offred, is not emotive in her telling. She's sharing her story in a direct way. Well, direct in that she's giving facts and reasons behind her decisions. There are a few places where she gives her more personal feelings but she tries to keep it to a minimum. I think this forced me to experience my own emotions rather than feed off of hers. 

I'm glad I finally read it.

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She has only one function: to breed. If she deviates, she will, like dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness. But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire - neither Offred's nor that of the two men on which her future hangs.

Lynn

This book had me clinging to its pages more than I expected. It paints a deeply disturbing picture of an extremist society. The retelling of her story in a diary form leaves gaps for imagination and provides a deeper understanding of the effects on the psyche in such a society. I struggle to fully understand how the paradigm change to the described social environment could happen within a matter of two years, but this does not take away from the horror of the possibility.

'It isn't running away they're afraid of. We wouldn't get far. It's those other escapes, the ones you can open in yourself, given a cutting edge' Offred is a Handmaid. She has only one function: to breed. If she refuses to play her part she will, like all dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness. She may walk daily to the market and utter demure words to other Handmaid's, but her role is fixed, her freedom a forgotten concept. Offred remembers her old life - love, family, a job, access to the news. It has all been taken away. But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire. Includes exclusive content: In The 'Backstory' you can read Margaret Atwood's account of how she came to write this landmark dystopian novel 'Compulsively readable' Daily Telegraph

megan kelley

3.75/5 ★s
can’t wait to hear abt all the “juxtapositions” tomorrow in English. 

yeah…I think the juxtaposition between me finishing this book and then immediately returning to the classic that is fairy smut is something to rly focus on when considering reading the handmaids tale. 

Hope this review was a lot of help!

Lacy W

Well this was certainly an interesting and thought provoking book. It made me think about how easily society can break. It made me think about how fragile we are as humans. It made me think about how quickly government can fail and a new and worse government can take it's place. 

I have a lot of thoughts, as you probably have guessed. I'll talk about the book first before I get into my thoughts about the themes. At first, I wasn't sure about this book. The first 15% of so was slow for me. There was a lot of things being mentioned but not explained. Luckily, I stuck it out because I had seen so many positive reviews. Everything eventually got explained and I felt better about reading this book. Although I really hate how it ended. I need closure, man. 

This book follows the tale of Offred, which I think is pronounced "of fred". She is a Handmaiden, which basically means she has to get pregnant in order to be a value in this new society. She has Commanders, that are in charge of her and impregnating her. Her freedom is extremely limited. The sad part is, she remembers a time when society wasn't like this. She remembers what it was like to be free to dress however she wanted, smoke whenever she wanted, marry whoever she wanted and so much more. 

I think that is one of the themes that really messed me up. The complete lack of freedom women suddenly had. Men were restricted too but not nearly as much as women. Women are forced to wear dresses and ridiculous headgear so no one can look them in the eye. They are treated as basically walking wombs. They have no real value in society besides birthing babies. 

I couldn't live in a society like that. Already, as a woman, I am constricted. Old men in the government feel like they have more a right to tell me what I can and can't do with my own body. I am judged, constantly, for making the decision at 23 years old to not have kids. I even feel judged, telling people that I want a busy career, where there is no room for little ones. I feel it is silly to have to pay for menstrual napkins. I think it's dumb as hell that women don't get paid the same amount as men for doing the same type of work with the same education. 

But reading this book has opened my eyes. I realize that even though I deal with those constrictions I listed above, I am still much better off than Offred and those women in the book. At least I can wear pants and swimsuits in public. But, I also realize that we, as a society, have so much more work to do. To make sure everybody is equal, men included. 

It's unfortunate though, that today, January 20, the USA will be going back 300 years with the inauguration of a President who is racist and sexist along with a Vice President who is homophobic. Reading this book has made me realize that we have to stand together as a country. We  cannot  go back in time to where no one but the white man had any sort of power. We  cannot  revert to what happens in this book. Where the Constitution was suspended and where men and women were publicly hung for small crimes like being a Baptist. 

I think that everybody needs to read this book because of what is currently happening right now. Don't discount as a silly feminist book. Yes, it is a feminist book, but it is so much more than that. It talks about equality for all sexes, not just females. It talks about equality for all religions and not just one. 

Okay. I am done. There is so much more I could discuss about this book. I could go on and on and on. There are few books that provoke such feeling in me and this is one of them. I just urge everyone to read it. It will change the way you think about society, government and so much more.

GET READY for THE TESTAMENTS, the highly anticipated SEQUEL, by reading the BESTSELLING DYSTOPIAN NOVEL NOW AN AWARD-WINNING TV SERIES STARRING ELISABETH MOSS Offred is a Handmaid in The Republic of Gilead, a religious totalitarian state in what was formerly known as the United States. She is placed in the household of The Commander, Fred Waterford - her assigned name, Offred, means 'of Fred'. She has only one function: to breed. If Offred refuses to enter into sexual servitude to repopulate a devastated world, she will be hanged. Yet even a repressive state cannot eradicate hope and desire. As she recalls her pre-revolution life in flashbacks, Offred must navigate through the terrifying landscape of torture and persecution in the present day, and between two men upon which her future hangs. Masterfully conceived and executed, this haunting vision of the future places Margaret Atwood at the forefront of dystopian fiction. 'As relevant today as it was when Atwood wrote it...no television event has hit such a nerve ...The Handmaid's Tale is more relevant one year after the first season' Guardian 'Don't expect to be gripped by a more potent or involving drama this year' Telegraph

4 ½ stars
oh my god. this book ended up being muuch better than what i expected it to be. at first i had some difficulty getting into it but now i don’t know how to get over it and come back to real life. what am i supposed to do, think ? i don’t even know, but what i can tell you is that this is a very hard-hitting and well-written story that can teach you a lot about how we should never take our freedom for granted.

Charlotte Dann

I am sad I've finished this. I was going to film a discussion video with my book club on this this evening but I don't think everyone's finished it yet so will probably have to wait for another day. Would recommend.

Marco Cavallaro 

Has been a pain from the first to the last page. Honestly, I can't stand the way it is written.

Jamieson

I'm sorry there's so much pain in this story. I'm sorry it's in fragments, like a body caught in crossfire or pulled apart by force. But there's nothing I can do to change it. I've tried to put some good things in as well. 
 



This is one of the most thought provoking and honestly terrifying books I've ever read. Although the world of Gilead is a world and time which seems so far from our own, it's also one that hits uncomfortably close to home. Although I was reading about some dystopian world, the themes and events seemed so likely. I mean, speculatively (and this is called speculative fiction by Atwood herself) it is something you can see happening in some terrifying, undesirable future. 

But only undesirable for me - the terrifying thing about this is that it has eventuated. There are many many countries in our world today where a great many elements of this story are a reality for women everyday and that's awful, that's the really scary thing about this. There are so many reviews of this with people saying "but this is so unrealistic!" and I wonder if they realise it's not unrealistic at all - it's happening. It's happening right now and not that many people are standing up against that. 

So much of this was just sickening and awful and .. so uncomfortable to read? It's so disturbing in it's themes and events, in the way that everything that happens is justified with so many of the arguments and rhetoric we hear today. "Boys will be boys!", "girls only do that for men", "men can't control themselves around women". It was a truly well written piece of Dystopian in that, despite it 'exploring' the life of a 'Handmaid' in the Giledean society, it's clear by doing so it's also exploring and exposing attitudes and values toward women within our own society, highlighting where and how our current social systems and structures work to undermine and devalue the "whole" worth from women aside from 'reproduction'. 

I was struck, personally, by many of the comments from men in the story saying things like "Don't you see! We've liberated the women. Now they don't have to dress up and wear makeup and do all those other silly, time consuming things they did to impress men" And I think uncomfortably of how many comments I see on girls pictures, of boys saying the same thing "I don't know why girls think they need to wear makeup", or, "I like a girl who doesn't wear makeup"

And no one realises maybe girls weren't doing it for boys in the first place.

This is a cautionary tale, a warning to people of what happens if you allow bureaucracy and government (which is still largely dominated by men in every country) to dictate women - to dictate what they do with their body, to dictate how they express their sexuality. 

I find it confusing when people claim the story of Offred doesn't apply to them - this hits remarkably close to the mark very, very often. 

Aside from the social commentary - Offred was such an easy character to connect to. Her narrative throughout is so emotional and poignant you're drawn into the story - it's impossible to not feel emotionally attached and to become embroiled in the tribulations of her daily life. 

The ending of this book is so controversial, and I am just as frustrated as the next person. I can't help notice though what an interesting choice it was. The use of the Historical Notes presents a situation in which people from the 'future' are able to emotionally detach themselves from Offred (in a way a reader cannot) mimics current systems in which we, as a society, perceive our treatment of minorities/women as much 'superior' to those before us. And yet, the Giledean's (which the professors criticise) thought their tradition was much superior. It's interesting to note what comment this could have on our own society. I also found the fact they focus exclusively on the 'men' of the story, ultimately undermining and erasing the struggle of Offred (who suffers so much) within Handmiad's. 

Although the writing is deliberately disjointed, I don't think it made the story overly confusing and I didn't really feel like I was "lost" at any point. I found the actual writing itself easy to write and quite 'poetic' and emotionally charged. The actual writing was really good and I enjoyed the lyrical or poetic feature of alot of the sentences. I very much liked the 'voice' of this. 

I found this whole thing so emotionally charged and absorbing. I am unable to detach myself from Offred and from her story because I feel I've been so closely bound to her and the tale. This is easily one of my favourite classics, and dystopian's and although I feel it's needs to be properly analysed rather than read 'casually', I think it's something all people should consider picking up and thinking about 

I may need to rewrite this review later. For now, I think I need to sit back and think about it some more. But I am really, really struck by this story and world and these characters.

this was so good! but also very disturbing...can't wait to pick the book up now though...

NOW A SMASH-HIT CHANNEL 4 TV SERIES WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION FROM MARGARET ATWOOD The Republic of Gilead offers Offred only one function- to breed. If she deviates, she will, like dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness. But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire - neither Offred's nor that of the two men on which her future hangs. Brilliantly conceived and executed, this powerful vision of the future gives full rein to Margaret Atwood's irony, wit and astute perception.

3.5 stars
I felt a little lost reading this, there were moments I enjoyed while others I felt were boring and dragging. A good plot altogether.

traumatic. a lot of meaning and thought provoking but traumatic. less horrifying than the series tho

Karo

can’t wait to hear abt all the “juxtapositions” tomorrow in lang. 

yeah…I think the juxtaposition between me finishing this book and then immediately returning to the classic that is fairy smut is something to rly focus on when considering reading the handmaids tale. 

Hope this review was a lot of help!

it was OK but I did watch the series before the book which I think spoiled it 

Jess Woolley

Leah B

THE DETAILS✎ ❐ ACTUAL RATING ☆4¼☆ STARS ❐ THE HANDMAID'S TALE #1 ❐ SINGLE POV --OFFRED ❐ DEPRESSING DYSTOPIAN WORLD ❐ OPPRESSION OF WOMEN ❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 12 HOURS, 6 MINUTES ❐ I LISTENED ON AUDIBLE

  
    
  

I have one question: Why the hell were these men so special that the whole world revolved around them. I didn't get it.

This book feels like a nightmare...one of those ones where you wake up and think WTF was that about...with incidents so crazy that it feels like it could never happen in real life. Please tell me this could never happen???

I never read classics...they are too literary for me. Filled with an overabundance of explanations and words of every little item in view of the narrator...that tends to bore me. This book has that in spades. But since I keep hearing good things about the show...and I'm really curious to try watching it. I figured I needed to read/listen to the book first, of course. Now, upon finishing this, especially with that non-ending of an ending; I'm even more intrigued to start the show. It looks like it goes much deeper with Offred's character and the world in general...hopefully, there is some serious ass-kicking and taking back what was stolen from them.

Claire Danes may have infused too much despair into her monotone narrative because I couldn't shake the overwhelming depression this left with me. Basically, she could be perfect, but I was too muddled in despair to notice. I can't really figure out if I liked her or not.


BREAKDOWN✎
Narration ➯ 4 STARS
Plot ➯ 4.3/5
Characters ➯ 4.3/5
The Feels ➯ 4.3/5
Pacing ➯ 3.7/5
Addictiveness ➯ 3.8/5
Theme/Tone/Intensity ➯ 3.7/5
Originality/Believability ➯ 4/5
Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 3.7/5
World-Building ➯ 3.5/5
Ending ➯ 3/5
SUMMATION ➯ 4¼ STARS

The writing style was a little hard to follow at certain points, but the overall message is bone chilling and brilliant. 

Sarah Taylor

Kristen Claiborn

I had a hard time with the end of this one, but otherwise it was fantastic.

Jade Iveson

This was a reread after having read it and not enjoyed it in high school. Given these trying times at the moment it seemed fitting. I did like it more probably now I've grown up and been subjected to further misogynistic tendencies in built into our society, thats kind of sad isnt it?

Micah

I enjoyed this book just as much as I did the first time I read it five years ago. The obvious pain and contemplation June had while telling her story was gripping, and her humanness kept me glued to the pages. Also, a minor detail but a life-changer, the fact that Margaret Atwood mentioned, multiple times, that June sweat and had body hair was so refreshing. I love this book.

Frederik De Bosschere

Having read and loved the MaddAddam-trilogy, I just knew I had to return to Margaret Atwood. Although I haven’t seen the series, I have seen the cast, and that already curbs my imagination. Still, I decided to give The Handmaid’s Tale a go. The alternate history is highly original, which is all the more impressive given it uses only real events as building blocks. The plot and its characters kept me engaged as well. However, though I can’t point to the reasons why … Jimmy/Snowman left a bigger impression on me than Offred. That being said, this is a classic in dystopian literature, so a recommendation is obvious to those interested. (But read Oryx and Crake if you haven’t already.)

Arturo Hernández

Futuristic dystopian novel that challenges the role of women in society. In this world, sex is a part of the role of being a female and their only reason to exist is to bring live to the world. It's detailed, raw and leaves you wanting to know more about everything that's going on. An interesting read for the inquisitive minds.

The Handmaid's Tale Notes

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