The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood that was first published in 1985. Atwood envisions a totalitarian and theocratic state where women’s roles are constrained and violent oppression keeps the order in place. A sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, The Testaments, was published in 2019. Explore a character analysis of the narrator Offred, plot summary, and important quotes.
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See a complete list of the characters in The Handmaid’s Tale and in-depth analyses of Offred, The Commander, Serena Joy, Moira, Luke, and Aunt Lydia.
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