ipl-logo

Offred Chapter Summaries

763 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Us policies during the 20th century

The story begins with a narrator (Offred) describing an old school that her and other women were held in, and how they lived. Offred tells about how her life in a series of flashbacks and the present. In the present she describes how she wishes she could gossip with the Martha's, and tells us in a flashback about her first meeting with the Commanders Wife, Serena. Gradually through the first ten or so chapters we begin to get a picture of what life is like in this dystopian America, and we come to realize that the Handmaidens, such as Offred, have no freedom and are treated as property with the sole purpose of reproduction. We meet Nick who commits an offense by winking at Offred and who is also ignored by her due to her fear of him being a …show more content…

We now observe Ofglen and Offred learning to really trust eachother, and in another flashback we learn about the fall of the U.S.A and the rise the Republic. After a shopping trip with Ofglen, she has a conversation with Serena in which they discuss pregnancy and that the Commander may be sterile, and then Serena suggests she try becoming from another man. She mentions Nick as an option, and Offred agrees despite the hatred she suddenly feels for the woman. Ofglen and Offred now attend a 'Prayvaganza'. In other words, a wedding for the daughters of Wives as young as fourteen. The next meeting in the Commanders office he gives her a skimpy, flashy outfit and tells her he wants to take her out. Offred agrees and Nick drives her and the Commander to a building where he puts a tag on her wrist and tells her that if people ask, she is an evening rental. At this club she sees Moira and she tells Offred about her attempt at escaping, and how she chose to work as a prostitute instead of living in the Colonies. In a hotel room at the club the Commander and her have sex, although the Commander is disappointed that she was not excited about a real sexual

Show More
Related
432 Words | 2 Pages

Jeff Bussey had no idea how brutal war really was, and he certainly found out the hard way in Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith. Jeff thinks being a soldier would be fun and adventurous. He learns how cruel and brutal war really is, but he also finds love along the way. Harold Keith mixes fact with his story, and not his story with his fact. Which is a good thing.

Read More
639 Words | 3 Pages

Outward conformity along with inward questioning, that is what the main character, presented in Margaret Artwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, has to undertake in order to survive in a theocratic society. Stepping out of line in any way risks your life, so in a place where freedom of speech and basic human right’s no longer apply, Offered must comply with whatever rules they have in place and pretend to agree with the system, but in the inside, she cannot help but think about her past life, her husband, her daughter, before everything began. Flashbacks are integrated in the novel to not only compare the old society with the new one, but to also demonstrate this fake conformity Offred has to display to others and her internal struggle with giving up on escaping the Republic or just accepting her fate and playing by

Read More
1108 Words | 5 Pages

In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, the protagonist, Offred, expresses her wish that her “story [is] different,” that it is “happier,” or at least “more active, less hesitant, less distracted” than it is ultimately portrayed (267). However, as her story is told, these characteristics are evident in the way she talks and acts, especially around those with authority. Hesitant to express her true thoughts and feelings, and distracted by memories from her previous life, Offred attempts to piece together her role in the society that has taken her freedom. The result is a compilation of moments, of memories, both from her present, her past, and even speculation about her future.

Read More
957 Words | 4 Pages

Atwood clearly emphasizes this point through the inclusion of Offred 's inner thoughts; which in turn, help to illuminate to the reader the process of this deterioration. Atwood also shows how the Republic of Gilead uses totalitarianism tactics, which parallel those used in North Korea, in order to remain in control. In The Handmaid’s tale, a dystopian novel, Margaret Atwood uses imagery and allusion throughout the novel to illustrate how the republic of Gilead uses techniques to deteriorate one 's mind in order to maintain their power. Throughout the dystopian country

Read More
1562 Words | 7 Pages

From my personal research, the events in the novel were influenced by negative situations that involved the American society prior to the 1980’s. These negative aspects of Gilead’s religious society in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ were drawn from similar issues facing the American public prior to the 1980’ s. These issues were based on religious concepts that were thought to greatly improve the American population's standard of living. The main ideas that influenced the creation of certain events and

Read More
746 Words | 3 Pages

The protagonist of The Handmaid’s Tale is referred to as Offred (of Fred). Through the manipulation of literary devices such as juxtaposition, allusion, and descriptive diction, Margaret Atwood voices her concerns about our future, and reveals just how quickly and completely our present could transform. As chapter 33 begins, the Handmaids are off to the Women’s Prayvaganza (a portmanteau of pray and extravaganza). The event, juxtaposed to the ‘fun festival’ it resembles, is really a mass wedding with girls as young as fourteen married off to Angels (troops).

Read More
1410 Words | 6 Pages

Symbolism can be defined as the use of symbols that an author uses to suggest more than the literal meaning of the object .Symbolism often allows the reader to understand the text better and connect with the story on a different level. In The Handmaid’s Tale, symbolism can be seen in various parts of the novel. One of the most common type of symbolism that can be identified in the text is through the use of colours. One of the most obvious symbols in the novel is the uniform that every Handmaid is supposed to wear.

Read More
971 Words | 4 Pages

Offred is suspicious of what the handmaid 's did. She looks at their hands, and a clue is given to her when she sees “black gloves”(Atwood 275). She ponders what they could have possibly done to have warranted such action from the authorities. Her speculation shows how the society of Gilead functions. The government of Gilead wants the handmaids to see that the prisoners are being hanged, as their suspicion is how Gilead gains control of them.

Read More
2035 Words | 9 Pages

Offred initially feels a sense of loss due to her position as a fertile woman since the independence and individuality she once enjoyed has since been stripped from her by the Republic of Gilead. It is only through rebellion that Offred is able to slowly regain her sense of self and reject the role that Gilead forces her into. By rebellion, however, it is often more dangerous for the perpetrators than to the government’s grip on the people. Offred’s societal role as a handmaid in Gilead forces her to first obey, then causes her to question, which finally allows her to realize her

Read More
978 Words | 4 Pages

In the novel, the main character Offred tells her tale as a handmaid and, how her and the other characters rebel towards the oppressive government. Offred, the only source of information, therefore the reader only knows what she tells them.

Read More
571 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Offred has a continuous search for justice for her daughter, in a society in which her idea of justice is starts as one concept and changes to one that she never expected. Margaret Atwood writes Offred as a character who was at once strong-willed, and who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. Her strength is dimmed at first, when her daughter and husband are first taken from her. Her strength, however comes back in full force when she finds the opportunity to get justice for her daughter. Offred uses the motivation of her daughter to spur a rebellious side of her that disappeared when the new leaders came into power.

Read More
904 Words | 4 Pages

“We read it for months, so many times that the book became tattered and sweat stained, it lost its spine, came unearthed, sections fell apart […] but we loved it dearly” (68). Reading created joy between the girls, strengthening their friendship and their will to escape the encompassing darkness of the neighbourhood. Each moment spent reading in the courtyard was one where they could be children, creating an inseparable bond. There was no worry of the past becoming present, in fact, the book drove them to desire a better future. Little Women provided a luminosity from the injustices they suffered, like Lila’s inability to continue her education.

Read More
928 Words | 4 Pages

Moreover, for Offred, recording her stories is the only way to send a message to the world outside Gilead in hope that one day it will be delivered. She does not try to be accurate about the history and society of dystopian Gilead, yet she is precise in describing her feelings and emotions, knowing that she is not alone: there are other handmaids with similar stories and there are her believed

Read More
1587 Words | 7 Pages

One’s power can be abused due to indolence; it ruins the lowest social class. In the handmaid 's tale, the Handmaids are treated poorly, making the person no longer themselves. The reader learns that Offred is being told what to do and has no say for her opinion, since it is against the law to go against the government. According to the handmaid’s tale, "You go out through the door and turn right. There 's another door, it 's open.

Read More
711 Words | 3 Pages

Rebellion in The Handmaid’s Tale Imagine not being able to do what you used to do because some actions are forbidden in this new society. In the Handmaid's Tale, Gilead is a dystopian society where people are limited to certain actions. Throughout the story, Offred’s actions are rebellious because she has broken so many rules. Atwood demonstrates that restricted expression leads to rebellion by showing the Commanders and Offred’s affair developing throughout time and the actions of both characters.

Read More

More about Offred Chapter Summaries

Related Topics

Open Document