Black Lives Matter.
Support the Equal Justice Initiative.
Menu
Shakespeare
Literature
Other Subjects
Blog
Log In
Help
Artboard
Created with Sketch.
Resubscribe
Perform Search
Shakespeare
Literature
Other Subjects
Blog
Log In
Help
! Error
Created with Sketch.
The Handmaid’s Tale
Margaret Atwood
Study Guide
Summary
Plot Overview
Key Questions and Answers
What Does the Ending Mean?
Summary & Analysis
Chapters 1–3
Chapters 4–6
Chapters 7–9
Chapters 10–12
Chapters 13–15
Chapters 16–21
Chapters 22–25
Chapters 26–28
Chapters 29–32
Chapters 33–36
Chapters 37–40
Chapters 41–44
Chapters 45–46 & Historical Notes on The Handmaid’s Tale
Characters
Character List
Offred
The Commander
Serena Joy
Moira
Luke
Aunt Lydia
Main Ideas
Themes
Plot Analysis
Protagonist
Antagonist
Setting
Motifs
Symbols
Genre
Allusions
Style
Point of View
Tone
Foreshadowing
Key Facts
Is Offred a rebel?
Quotes
Important Quotations Explained
Quotes By Theme
Complacency
Identity
Role of Women
Imprisonment
Quotes By Section
Chapters 1-3
Chapters 4-6
Chapters 7-9
Chapters 10-12
Chapters 13-15
Chapters 16-21
Chapters 22-25
Chapters 26-28
Chapters 29-32
Chapters 33-36
Chapters 37-40
Chapters 41-44
Chapters 45-46
Quotes By Character
Offred
The Commander
Serena Joy
Moira
Aunt Lydia
Quotes By Symbol
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Harvard University
The Handmaids’ Red Habits
A Palimpsest
The Eyes
Further Study
Context
Feminism in the 1980s
Feminist science fiction
Movie Adaptations
Full Book Quiz
Section Quizzes
Context
Plot Overview
Character List
Analysis of Major Characters
Themes, Motifs & Symbols
Chapters 1-5
Chapters 4-6
Chapters 7-9
Chapters 10-12
Chapters 13-15
Chapters 16-21
Chapters 22-25
Chapters 26-28
Chapters 29-32
Chapters 33-36
Chapters 37-40
Chapters 41-44
Chapters 45-46 & Historical Notes on The Handmaid's Tale
Study Questions
Suggestions for Further Reading
Companion Texts
Writing Help
How to Write Literary Analysis
Suggested Essay Topics
How to Cite This SparkNote
Further Study
Character List Quiz
Further Study
Character List Quiz
1
of 5
How are the names of the Handmaids formed?
"Of" plus Commander's name
Chosen from the Bible
Their commander chooses their name
Their real name spelled backwards
2
of 5
While the Commander seems like a victim of Gilead, what does the reader learn?
He secretly opposes Gilead
He helped design Gilead
He is being blackmailed
He has been brainwashed
3
of 5
Sitting at the top of the female social ladder within Gilead, Serena Joy feels what about her life?
She loves life completely
She is indifferent
She is desperately unhappy
She is incredibly grateful
4
of 5
At the beginning of the novel, how does Moira compare to the other women?
She's very similar
She's much more defiant
She's more resigned
She's less independent
5
of 5
What is the purpose of the Aunts class of women within the novel?
To make women accept fate
To encourage women to resist
To assist women with reading
To coach women through childbirth
Previous section
Plot Overview Quick Quiz
Next section
Analysis of Major Characters Quick Quiz
Popular pages:
The Handmaid’s Tale
Offred: Character Analysis
CHARACTERS
Plot Analysis
MAIN IDEAS
Is Offred a rebel?
MAIN IDEAS
Quotes by Theme
QUOTES
Themes
MAIN IDEAS
Review Quiz
FURTHER STUDY
Take a Study Break
Every Shakespeare Play Summed Up in a Quote from
The Office
Every Book on Your English Syllabus, Summed Up in Marvel Quotes
Every
Harry Potter
Character, Summed Up in a Single Sentence
The 7 Most Messed-Up Short Stories We All Had to Read in School
14 Life-Changing Literary Quotes (That Everyone Always Forgets About)
7 Literary Characters Who Should Have Died But Didn't
Pick 7 Movies and We'll Tell You What Book You Should Read While You're Social Distancing
