The Handmaid’s Tale

1- What does the name Offred means?

All the handmaids are named after their commanders. So
because her commander was called Fred, she’s called Offred.
2- What’s a Handmaid?
A Handmaid is woman who has proven fertility in a time where
many women where not able to give birth (barren). Her main
role is reproduction. She has to sleep with her master and carry
his child.
3- Why the novel is considered a Dystopia?
In The Handmaid’s tale, the republic of Gilead is controlled by
an authoritarian regime that deprives freedom, education and
many human rights.
4- What is the significance of Cambridge, Massachusetts in the
novel?
The use of Cambridge, Massachusetts, allows Atwood to
indirectly link the fictional Gilead with the historical Puritan
society created hundreds of years earlier, in the 1600s. Both
groups emphasized religion, patriarchal authority, and the
banishment of those members who did not agree with their
beliefs and ideas
5- Why did you choose this novel?
The Handmaid’s Tale as a dystopian novel raises great
awareness of how life would be if a country is ruled by a
totalitarian regime. Women’s discrimination is one of the major
problems in the novel. The loss of identity, self- respect,
freedom and dignity highlights their importance; they should
not be taken for granted. Many persons fought for this along
history. The issue of equality has always been a fundamental
ingredient for any nation seeking development and justice.
 Women should never been treated with inferiority or
disrespect.
6- What are the women categories in the novel? How are they
differentiated ?
 Wives: the infertile (barren) wives of the commanders
 Martha: female domestic servants
 Aunt: who trains the handmaids
 Handmaid: fertile women (fruitful) taken from her
previous life to carry the commander’s children
 Eyes: secret police entitled to spy on people