"I used to think of my body as aninstrument, of pleasure, or a means oftransportation, or an implement for theaccomplishment of my will" (Atwood, 84)

The handmaid's names are taken away andare changed to "of", and the name of thecommander

Ownership of their belongings were givento their closest male relative

They're not allowed to hold jobs and assets

The new Gilead regime removed women'sright to financial independence

"I threw the magazine into the flames. Itriffled open in the wind of its burning; bigflakes of paper came loose, sailed into theair, still on fire, parts of women’s bodies,turning to black ash, in the air, before myeyes"(Atwood, 43)

Atwood's target of feminism was thereligious right; implying the dark side offeminist rhetoric

There has been too many cases where awoman’s credibility or character has beenattacked in the wake of sexual assault intodays society.

There are many countries, religions anddress codes that force women to coverthemselves up so as to not “provoke” men.

There has been a heated debate aroundabortion, women’s rights, and the U.S.government’s role in all things fertility.Whether that be IVF or surrogacy (which isessentially a handmaid by differentstandards)

Sexual violence, particularly against women, is veryprevalent in The Handmaid’s Tale. The Commanderand the Aunts claim that women are betterprotected in Gilead, that they are treated withrespect and kept safe from violence.

In one scene, the Handmaids tear apart withtheir bare hands a supposed rapist (actuallya member of the resistance). Gilead claimsto suppress sexual violence, but it actuallyinstitutionalizes it.

Gilead is a theocracy (a government wherethere is no separation between state andreligion). Gilead's official vocabularyincorporates religious terminology andbiblical references.

All of the stores in Gilead have biblicalnames: Loaves and Fishes, All Flesh, Milkand Honey. The automobiles also havebiblical names like Behemoth, Whirlwind,and Chariot.

Offred is a great representative of women ingeneral before Gilead. She didn't considerherself a feminist, and she feared feminismwould alienate her from men.

Handmaid for The Commander

Her real name is unknown

Was previously married to a man namedLuke, and had one child

A close friend of Offred, and is stronglyopposed to Gilead

Has a lot of power, but is careful not toabuse it

Bitter and selfish character throughout theentire novel character doesn't changemuch

Walks with Offred everyday when they gointo town

Freedom being achieved throughrepression; "There is more than one kind offreedom, said Aunt Lydia, Freedom to andfreedom from" (Atwood, 24).

The handmaid's are only allowed to wearlong red dresses and white bonnets which conceal their body and face,stripping them of any identity

Offred explains that everything is are-interpretation of something else, and thatnothing is an exact description of the truth

Atwood is widely viewed as a feministwriter, and The Handmaid's Talepresents a complex feminism point ofview

In Gilead, almost all women are bannedfrom reading and writing. Words areconsidered influential works which caninspire ideas of freedom and change -which is not approved of

Only a few higher up members thecommunity are permitted to readin write

Atwood reflects the use of individuality andthe use of free words throughout the novel

When worn by the handmaid's, itsymbolizes fertility. Red suggests theblood of the menstrual cycle andchildbirth

The Eyes of God are Gilead's secret police

A document in which old writing has beenscratched out and new writing has beenplaced

Symbolizes the direct link between thepuritans and their sexual heirs in Gilead

Centre of Gilead's power Offred lives here

Considered to symbolize beauty and fertility