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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
Chapters 26-28 Quiz
Further Study
Chapters 26-28 Quiz
1
of 5
After developing a friendship with the Commander, how does Offred feel regarding having sex with him?
Excited
Embarrassed
Repulsed
Proud
2
of 5
What did Aunt Lydia say would happen to Handmaids as soon as the population reached an acceptable level?
They'd be assassinated
They'd be sterilized
They'd become like daughters
They'd become Wives
3
of 5
When Offred says she doesn't believe the prayer machines work, what do Ofglen and Offred realize?
They are both trustworthy
They are both spies
They are both revolutionaries
They were once friends
4
of 5
When she was an adolescent, how did Offred feel about her mother's activism?
Indifferent
Proud
Scared
Ashamed
5
of 5
Why didn't Offred want to make love to Luke the night after she lost her job?
She was incredibly depressed
She had fallen ill
She felt a power imbalance
He openly patronized her
Previous section
Chapters 22-25 Quick Quiz
Next section
Chapters 29-32 Quick Quiz
Popular pages:
The Handmaid’s Tale
Character List
CHARACTERS
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
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