RAJIV GANDHI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LAW

PUNJAB

The Handmaid’s Tale

- Margaret Atwood

Submitted By: Submitted To:

Aviral Pathak Mrs. Tanya Mander

Roll Number: 21134 Asst. Professor English

Group Number: 20 RGNUL, Patiala

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The Handmaid’s Tale won the 1985 Governor General’s Literary Award for English-
language fiction, and it was shortlisted for the 1986 Booker Prize.

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 Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................4
1.1 Historical Background.................................................................................................................4
1.2 Background of the Author...........................................................................................................4
2. PLOT.................................................................................................................................................6
3. CHARACTER SKETCH...................................................................................................................8
3.1 Offred..........................................................................................................................................8
3.2 The Commander (Fred)...............................................................................................................9
3.3 The Wife (Serena Joy).................................................................................................................9
3.4 Aunt Lydia.................................................................................................................................10
3.5 Moira.........................................................................................................................................11
3.6 Nick...........................................................................................................................................11
3.7 Luke...........................................................................................................................................12
4. LANGUAGE, THEMES, MOTIFS, AND SYMBOLS...................................................................13
4.1 Language...................................................................................................................................13
4.2 Theme........................................................................................................................................14
4.2.1 Totalitarianism-...................................................................................................................14
4.2.2 Religion-.............................................................................................................................14
4.2.3 Gender and Sexuality-.........................................................................................................14
4.2.4 Dress Code-........................................................................................................................15
4.2.5 Re-education-......................................................................................................................15
4.3 Motifs........................................................................................................................................16
4.3.1 Red-....................................................................................................................................16
4.3.2 Nolite te bastardes carborundorum-....................................................................................16
4.3.3 Faith-..................................................................................................................................16
4.3.4 The Wall-............................................................................................................................16
4.4 Symbols.....................................................................................................................................18
4.4.1 Particicution-......................................................................................................................18
4.4.2 The Ceremony-...................................................................................................................18
5. EXPOSITION..................................................................................................................................19
6. CRITICISM.....................................................................................................................................20
7. BIBLIOGRAPHY...........................................................................................................................21
Books...............................................................................................................................................21
Websites..........................................................................................................................................21

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 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Historical Background

The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian genre novel, was published in the year 1985 by
McClelland and Stewart in Canada. Margaret Atwood, writer of the novel, believes that
History has a proclivity towards repeating itself. It is supported by the fact that the novel is
loaded with copious historical references. It gives glimpse of many distressing historic and
religious customs prevalent in Gilead. While describing historical references, Margaret once
mentioned about Salem witch trials. In 17th century in New England, a woman named Mary
Webster was brought to one such trial as witch. The Handmaid’s Tale is, to an extent,
dedicated to Webster. The novel brings into spotlight many other troubling incidences like
‘public execution’ (hanging on The Wall). The Wall is an infamous spot where public
execution used to take place. Next on the list is ‘forced adoption’, a practice ubiquitous in
United States and Canada in late 1900’s, where healthy infants were snatched from their
biological parents and forcefully re-homed to childless couples of high-society.

The Handmaid’s Tale is brimming with biblical references like “Rachel and Leah Center” is
an allusion to Old Testament story of two sisters named Rachel and Leah, both married to
Jacob. Other references include “May the Lord Open” and “Blessed be the fruit”.

1.2 Background of the Author

Margaret Atwood was born in November 1939 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.1 At the age of
six, she started writing plays and poems. Her formal education began only when she turned
twelve. Atwood went on to Leaside High School in Toronto. She discovered her desire to be
a writer when she was sixteen, and began publishing while attending Victoria College at the
University of Toronto. Acta Victoriana, a collegiate literary publication, published her work.

1
https://bookanalysis.com/margaret-atwood/

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Atwood also appeared in The Bob Comedy Revue's sophomore performance. She earned a
Bachelor of Arts in English from the institution, as well as majors in philosophy and French 2.
Atwood graduated from  Radcliffe College, Harvard University. She also started a doctoral
degree but did not finish her dissertation.3

In 1961, Atwood published her first book of poetry -Double Persephone- for which she  won
the E.J. Pratt Medal. It was a great start. Eight years later her first novel , The Edible Woman,
was published. Atwood's next books cemented her place in the literary world. The first was
Bodily Harm, which came out in 1981, and The Handmaid's Tale, which came out in 1985.
The Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Governor General's Award were given to this work. It
was also a Booker Prize finalist in 1986. This was followed by Cat's Eye, which was also a
Booker Prize finalist. The Blind Assassin, Atwood's tenth novel, earned the Booker Prize, a
monetary prize from which she contributed to environmental and literary causes.4 In addition,
The Blind Assassin received the Hammett Prize in 2000. In the year 2001, she was
introduced into Canada’s Walk of Fame.

2
Ibid
3
Ibid
4
Ibid

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 2. PLOT

The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel set in the Republic of Gilead, a theocratic military
dictatorship.

It begins with a coup de tat by a radical Christian rebel group named ‘Sons of Jacob’. Its
attempt to overthrow the government succeeds and culminates in killing of the President. In a
twinkling of an eye, it suspends all rights of women, stripping them off their financial liberty.
The Republic of Gilead consolidates control rapidly and reorganizes society under a new
militaristic, hierarchical, and obligatory system of Old Testament-inspired social and
religious fanaticism among its newly established social classes. The concepts of human rights
and dignity are wiped off the face of this society. There are no traces of women rights, they
areh even forbidden to read.

The story is narrated by Offred, a woman kept alive merely for reproductive purpose. This
class of women is called Handmaids, they are compelled to conceive offspring for elite strata
in an era of infertility due to nuclear explosions and sexually transmitted diseases. Offred
records her life while serving for Commander Fred (The Commander) as a Handmaid.
Flashbacks of her life before and during initial days of revolution are interspersed throughout
the novel, from her failed attempt to escape to her life at Red Center. Offred outlines Gilead's
social system, particularly the many classes of women and their restricted lifestyles in the
new theocracy.

In Gilead, the Commander is a high-ranking officer. He initiates an unlawful and ambiguous

relationship with Offred, despite the fact that he is only meant to have contact with her during
"the Ceremony," a rite of sexual intercourse designed to result in pregnancy during which his
wife is present. He provides her with hidden or illegal goods, such as old fashion magazines,
cosmetics, and clothing from the 1970s, brings her to a government-run covert brothel, and
secretly meets with her in his study, where he enables her to read, which is generally banned
for women. Serena Joy, The Commander's wife, has covert relations with Offred as well,
arranging for her to have sex with Nick, The Commander's driver, in order to get her
pregnant. Serena Joy agrees to help Offred in return for news of her daughter, whom she
hasn't seen since she and her family were captured while attempting to flee Gilead.

Following Offred's first encounter with Nick, they continue to meet on a more regular basis.
Despite her indoctrination and recollections of her spouse, Offred learns she likes sex with

6
Nick. She tells him possibly hazardous details about her history. Offred comes to know about
the Mayday, a rebellion group trying to destroy Gilead, through another handmaid, Ofglen.
The Commander's wife discovers proof of Offred and the Commander's relationship shortly
after Ofglen's disappearance (later revealed to be a suicide). Offred is thinking of killing
herself. As the story ends, she is being kidnapped by the spy police, also known as "the
Eyes," on Nick's instructions. Nick informs Offred that the guys are members of the Mayday
resistance and that she must trust him before being loaded into the huge black vehicle. Offred
has no idea if Nick is a Mayday resistance member or a government spy acting as one, and
she has no idea whether joining the guys would lead to her escape or detention. Her future is
unknown as she enters the vehicle.

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 3. CHARACTER SKETCH

Jewelry is to Women; Characters is to Novel.

Characters are an integral part of stories. Knowing about them beforehand makes it easier for
readers to grasp the plot.

3.1 Offred

Offred is the protagonist of The Handmaid’s Tale. The readers see the world in the novel
from her perspective. She is a woman in her thirties who was once an independent working
woman, now her circumstances have reduced her to a mere handmaid – in the novel,
handmaid is a segment of women bearing, unwillingly, child for infertile elite couples. She
eloquently describes her situation as “Ladies in reduced circumstances, that is what we are
now. The circumstances have been reduced; for those of us who still have circumstances” 5
and “ a rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze”6. She is
former wife of Luke and mother of an eight-year-old girl. Her life takes a sharp turn and she
ends up living a nameless life -her real name is still a mystery but some hints indicate that it
might be ‘June’. The name Offred in an amalgamation of ‘Of’, a possessive pronoun and
‘Fred’, the first name of the ‘gentleman’ for whom she works. She has a desperate desire to
elude from her current life and get back to the past, the past which she describes as “when we
think of the past it’s the beautiful things we pick out. We want to believe it was all like that.” 7
The novel is mute on her ultimate fate.

5
https://the-handmaids-tale.fandom.com/wiki/Offred_(Novel)
6
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale, Penguin Random House, London, 2017
7
Ibid

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3.2 The Commander (Fred)

The Commander is the head of the household. The house is what he holds. To have and to
hold, till death do us part.8 He is a grey-haired man in his fifties, an elite of Gilead and the
possessor of Offred. He has adopted various personalities in the novel ranging from
detestable to almost sympathetic. He is married yet lonely. He thinks that his wife Serena Joy
does not understand him. Some segments of the novel suggests that he was intensely involved
in the creation of Republic of Gilead. In the epilogue, it is suggested that his real identity was
Commander Fred Waterford,9 yet nothing can be said with absolute certainty.

3.3 The Wife (Serena Joy)

Serena Joy is Commander Fred’s wife. She spends her days living as a traditional, upper-
class wife.10 Serena Joy used to be the lead soprano from a Sunday-morning religious
program called "Growing Souls Gospel Hour"11. In her free time she takes care of her garden,
knits as well as hums and listens to the recordings of her songs. She has intense hatred for
8
Ibid
9
https://the-handmaids-tale.fandom.com/wiki/Commander_Fred_(Novel)
10
https://bookanalysis.com/margaret-atwood/the-handmaids-tale/character-list/
11
Supra note 6

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Offred owing to the fact that she is her husband’s handmaid. Despite her high status she is
deeply unhappy.

3.4 Aunt Lydia

Lydia belongs to another group of individuals in Gilead known as The Aunts. They are in
charge of re-educating the Handmaids and guaranteeing their adherence to the Ceremony.
She works at the "Red Center," which is where Offred was reeducated 12. Her only
appearances in the novel are in Offred's memories, yet she has a strong presence in that
facility. She put forth her point in a very authoritative and eloquent manner like “there is
more than one kind of freedom, Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was
freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don’t underrate it.” 13

3.5 Moira

12
Supra note 8
13
Supra note 6

10
Moira is a supporting character in The Handmaid's Tale (Novel) . She is Offred's best friend
since adolescence. She is a lesbian who is forced to work as handmaid. She becomes
something of a legend amongst the Handmaids for successfully escaping the Red Center.14
Moira is portraited as a strong personality, not easily controllable, she is a feminist and fights
for gender equality.

3.6 Nick

Nick is man in his thirties working for Fred as a Guardian and lives in a garage there. He
works as a gardener and a chauffeur. Offred doubts him being an Eye because she believes
that he is too easy-going to be a Guardian. He often runs secret errands for The Commander,
like his titled hat is a sign that Commander Fred is calling Offred for a private meet. In a twist
of events, Offred falls in love with Nick, so does he. At the end, though unsure, Nick sends
members of Mayday to help Offred in escaping.

3.7 Luke
In the novel, there is no direct appearance of Luke. All we know about him is through
Offred’s flashbacks. He is Offred’s ex-husband. Before getting married they were in an
adulterous relation. Later he divorced his wife to marry Offred. They physically separated
when they were trying to escape from the country. Offred hasn’t seen him since then. She
does not know if he is alive or not. Nevertheless, she still hopes and fantasizes to be reunited
with him. He is fading away in her memories, she constantly reminds herself not to refer to
him in past tense. There comes a moment when she oscillates between morals and

14
https://the-handmaids-tale.fandom.com/wiki/Moira_(Novel)

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practicality, i.e. Luke and Nick. Initially she holds on to Luke as mentioned in the line “you
can help what you feel, but you can help how you behaves” 15. But later she chooses Nick.

15
Supra note 6

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 4. LANGUAGE, THEMES, MOTIFS, AND SYMBOLS

4.1 Language
The Handmaid’s Tale is an epitome of the proverb “the pen is mightier than the sword”.
Rather than unnecessarily complicating the sentences, the author has preferred simple
statements which are easy to understand. The novel uses two kinds of sentences to vividly
describe different emotions hidden within them. The sentences of the first type are well
structured and less punctuated to denote calm and composure state of mind. For example “the
sun is coming weakly through the clouds, the smell of wet grass warming up is in the air” 16.
The second kind includes sentences which are highly punctuated with an intensive use of
conjunctions to allude to adrenalin rush or simply an unrelaxed/queasy state of mind. This
type is perfectly illustrated in lines like “Quite, I say again, my face is wet, sweat or tears, I
feel calm and floating, as if I am no longer in my body; close to my eyes there’s a leaf, red,
turned early, I can see every bright vein”17 and “I’m running with her, holding her hands,
pulling, dragging her through the bracken….” 18. In regards to figurative language, Atwood
uses metaphors and similes throughout the novel in order to create the most poignant images
she could. One of the most noteworthy is when Offred says “We are containers, it’s only the
inside of our bodies that are important”. 19 Another attraction grabbing line is “the tulips have
had their moment and are done, shedding their petals one by one, like teeth”. 20 One can also
find a slight use of oxymoron as in line “whatever is silent will clamour to be heard, though
silently”.21

16
Supra note 6
17
Supra note 6
18
Supra note 6
19
https://bookanalysis.com/margaret-atwood/the-handmaids-tale/analysis/
20
Supra note 6
21
Supra note 6

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4.2 Theme
A literary theme is the central idea or underlying meaning around which the whole story
revolves. Characters, dialogues, set or an amalgamation of all these aspects can be used to
convey theme of a story. Unlike a single statement theme of many simple stories, the theme
of The Handmaid’s Tale is complicated. It is typically an open ended expedition of some
negative aspects of society or humanity. Some prominent themes of The Handmaid’s Tale are
:

4.2.1 Totalitarianism-
Totalitarianism is the central concept of The Handmaid’s Tale, it portrays the terrifying
degree of power. ‘Control’ is the major theme throughout the novel- whether it be by
government, how it has slapped restrictions on every aspect of human life, or the way in
which handmaids, or lower strata at large, are dominated by elites in the name of religion.
Each and every activity, no matter how minute, is under surveillance in the Republic of
Gilead to facilitate ‘smooth’ running.

4.2.2 Religion-
Gilead Republic is ruled by theocratic dictatorship government, where every action is
classified as moral or immoral only on the basis of religion. In reality, the group running
Gilead, according to Atwood, is not interested in religion; they are interested in power 22.
Bruce Miller has rightly said that Gilead is "a society that’s based kind of in a perverse
misreading of Old Testament laws and codes".23 The group ruling Republic of Gilead and the
aunts rhetorically twist the meaning of religious statements to manipulate the people to work
according to them. This theme deals with another spectrum of life, i.e. how meek people are
used by dominants to fulfil their personal greed and goals.

4.2.3 Gender and Sexuality-

The world of The Handmaid’s Tale is purely patriarchal. There exists a stark division
between sexes. Men occupy all dominant positions, leaving none for women, and are
supposed to be biologically and intellectually superior. On the other side of the spectrum,
women are seen as mere vessels, a container to protect womb. Women’s consent is
immaterial to sexual intercourse, their sexual desires are highly suppressed. Whenever their
22
Williams, Layton E. (25 April 2017). "Margaret Atwood on Christianity, 'The Handmaid's Tale,' and What
Faithful Activism Looks Like Today". Sojourners.
23
O'Hare, Kate (16 April 2017). "'The Handmaid's Tale' on Hulu: What Should Catholics Think?". Faith &
Family Media Blog. 

14
spouses demand it, ladies are expected to engage in sexual activity. Infertile women are
declared unwomen and are sent to Colonies to perform hazardous works and sterile men -oh
sorry! they don’t exist, it’s always women who are at fault.

4.2.4 Dress Code-

Women in Republic of Gilead can be visually identified on the basis of what they wear.
Every woman must dress in the appropriate attire consistent with their status and functions.
Wives of Commanders wear expensive blue dresses. Their daughters, veiled while. Women
married to men of rank lower than commander are called Econowives and are dressed in
clothes having strips of different colors: red, green and blue. Widows wear black and
Marthas, dumpy green. Handmaids are compelled to wear red dresses, long, draping,
covering every inch of their bodies so that their bodies are unseen, yet easily seen.

4.2.5 Re-education-
Another conspicuous factor shaping the novel is re-education, a euphemism for
brainwashing. It is spine-chilling to read that how Aunts brainwash handmaids and make
them believe that their life is better now, actually the best. It is evident in the lines “where I
am is not a prison but a privilege, as Aunt Lydia said…” 24 and “already we were losing the
taste for freedom, already we were finding these walls secure. In the upper reaches of the
atmosphere you’d come apart, you’d vaporize, there would be no pressure holding you
together.”

24
Supra note 6

15
4.3 Motifs
Motif is a literary technique that consists of an element or an idea that repeats itself
throughout the piece of literature. It is starkly similar to theme, but there is a slight difference.
Rather than being a theme itself, motif is more like a support pillar- a statement or an idea
that supports the central theme.

4.3.1 Red-
Margaret Atwood repeats the word ‘red’ many times in the novel, giving it a special position.
Red is the color of handmaids’ dresses, tulips of garden of Serena Joy and ‘smile’ like blood
spot on hanging bodies on The Wall. Red, being an easily visible color, is chosen for
Handmaids’ dresses, the dresses which make them identifiable thus detestable. Red
symbolizes the non-existence of handmaids’ freedom, making them hate the color. Red is
also the color of menstrual blood, denoting that the handmaid has failed to perform her ‘duty’
of being pregnant. Offred’s name can also be broken into off-red, giving the word red one
more vital role.

4.3.2 Nolite te bastardes carborundorum-

It is a Latin, not pure Latin, phrase that Offred finds while searching through her room. It was
starched in the closet by former Offred, previous handmaid of Commander Fred. She feels
connected and empathetic towards her. Not being a Latin speaker, Offred can understand the
phrase yet she repeats it to herself many times a day. While praying she uses nolite te
bastardes carborundorum to connect to God. Later, through Commander, she finds out that it
is actually a bastarized Latin phrase that loosely translates into “don’t let the bastards grind
you down”. The phrase reminds her of her duty to escape the place, it is the thing that keeps
her alive in her hopeless world.

4.3.3 Faith-
Offred's room has the word 'FAITH' inscribed on one of her pillows. On a bleak day, reading
it gives her hope. When she is feeling depressed, she is reminded of this term. On a dark
route, it functions like a lantern. Other parts of the collection, such as CHARITY and HOPE,
she guesses are with the Marthas.

4.3.4 The Wall-

The Wall is a towering brick wall that forms the city's boundaries in The Handmaid's Tale.
Without authorization, no one is permitted to pass through the heavily guarded Wall. The

16
Wall is equipped with hooks that are used to exhibit the bodies of executed or salvaged
persons. The heads of the bodies are generally covered by hoods, and they frequently carry
signs around their necks indicating the crime for which they were killed. The bodies serve as
a deterrent to anybody considering subversive activities, as well as to further humiliate and
punish the perpetrators.

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4.4 Symbols
4.4.1 Particicution-
The word ‘particicution’ is a portmanteau of two words: ‘participation’ and ‘execution’. It is
the practice of public execution in Republic of Gilead. In this practice, the execution is
carried out by a group of handmaids, for whom it is an opportunity to vent out their anger and
frustration. Men guilty of crimes such as rape or other kinds of abuse against Handmaids are
typically killed in Particicutions, since this makes it more personal for the Handmaids.

In The Handmaid's Tale, particicution serves an important role. The man accused of raping a
pregnant handmaid and causing miscarriage was actually a member of the revolutionary
organization Mayday, and he was beaten to death in the incidence depicted in the novel. This
demonstrates how the government handles rebels and traitors.

4.4.2 The Ceremony-

Maybe the wife should be there for the act. It would be less of a violation. - Commander
Pryce

It is chiefly an act of rape disguised as a ritual or a duty. This ritualized rape is performed by
men of high rank, their wives and handmaids. Because the aim of the Ceremony is not sexual
pleasure or intimacy, but rather the conception of offspring, it is meant to be as clinical and
non-sensual as possible. It is considered necessary to maintain the population of Republic of
Gilead which is going through infertility crises.

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 5. EXPOSITION

Interdisciplinary analysis is of chief importance while understanding a piece of literature. As

a law student working on an English project, next I would like to discuss importance and
relevance of law, not necessarily written law, in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.

Atwood’s dystopian novel imagines ‘the worst of all possible worlds’ for women. The
Handmaid's Tale depicts a confessional and totalitarian regime in which women's rights have
been abolished and a system of forced reproduction through the slavery of fertile women has
been implemented. The society is an absolute patriarchal one with no traces of equality and
freedom. Citizens, especially women, are under constant surveillance by The Eyes. Apart
from gender inequality, numerous breaches of the concept of human dignity can be found
throughout the work. Under theocratic dictatorship government of Republic of Gilead women
are stripped off their dignity and right to bodily integrity under the name of religion, reducing
them to merely an outer layer for embryo. The novel argues that legally controlling women’s
reproductive freedom is morally and politically wrong. 25The world of novel lacks freedom,
society dictates what and how one ought to and must live like. Even the color and the pattern
of women’s clothes are fixed in compliance with one’s societal status. The novel is not
limited to these issues only. Abortion, homophobia, sexual violence, racism, illiteracy and
class discrimination are ingrained in the story.

These issues are not limited to the novel, they are embedded in our society. Worse is the fact
that they do not seem to take their last breath anytime soon. The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel
that cannot be considered solely for the entertainment it offers, but also for the criticism it
presents. 26

25
Baldwin, Emma. "The Handmaid's Tale Summary". <em>Book Analysis</em>, <a id="site_link"
href="https://bookanalysis.com/margaret-atwood/the-handmaids-tale/summary/">
https://bookanalysis.com/margaret-atwood/the-handmaids-tale/summary/</a>.
26
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b877/43c2406659153bdca57322050ef586d76225.pdf?
_ga=2.217784405.274971890.1633442598-1611041188.1633442598

19
 6. CRITICISM

Offred, a Handmaid who recalls the past and chronicles Gilead's growth, tells the story in the
first person in The Handmaid's Tale. By utilizing narrators who are initially blind to the
major events occurring around them, Atwood investigates the limits of sight and the
ramifications of those constraints. The novel is strictly from Offred’s perspective, not
inclusive of others’ opinion, which can be manipulating and wrong at times. To tell the story
from wider perspective Offred requires to see differently from the way she is authorized to
see. That is only possible when one starts questioning established routine. But the repeated
use of line “I compose myself” shows the lack of rebellion by Offred, making her incapable
of inculcating variety of perspectives.

Despite the fact that The Handmaid’s Tale deals with eternal issues, being more than three
decades old, the novel’s relevance in contemporary world is diminishing. In 1980’s and
1990’s, after the publication of the novel, societal and psychological changes took place at an
unprecedented rate. Liberalization and the advent of technology altered people’s perspective
by fading the geographical and physical boundaries to an extent where it became nearly
impossible to distinguish. This requires readers to adopt the method of critical spectatorship
while reading.

The novel offers no comfort, it illustrates the lack of female solidarity as contributing to the
failed feminist revolution and supporting the subsequent backlash of religious rights.

The Handmaid’s Tale ends on a disappointing ambiguity. Readers are left with more
questions than answer as Offred steps off “into the darkness within; or else the light”. 27 Did
Offred escape? Were those people really from Mayday or did nick betray her? Did she
reunite with her family? Or was she brought back to the Red Center or Colonies? This too
we shall never know.

27
Alanna A. Callaway, “Women disunited : Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale as a critique of feminism”,
San Jose State University.

20
 7. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale, Penguin Random House, London, 2017

Websites
https://bookanalysis.com/margaret-atwood/the-handmaids-tale/historical-context/

https://the-handmaids-tale.fandom.com/wiki/The_Handmaid%27s_Tale_(Novel)

Alanna A. Callaway, “Women disunited : Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale as a

critique of feminism”, San Jose State University.

https://www.ipl.org/essay/Criticism-In-The-Handmaids-Tale-By-Margaret-P3SSW82PJ4D6

https://blogs.kent.ac.uk/lawandthehumanities/2018/06/07/the-handmaids-tale-and-the-
aesthetics-of-law/

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b877/43c2406659153bdca57322050ef586d76225.pdf?
_ga=2.217784405.274971890.1633442598-1611041188.1633442598

Baldwin, Emma. "The Handmaid's Tale Summary". <em>Book Analysis</em>, <a

id="site_link" href="https://bookanalysis.com/margaret-atwood/the-handmaids-tale/
summary/"> https://bookanalysis.com/margaret-atwood/the-handmaids-tale/summary/</a>.

O'Hare, Kate (16 April 2017). "'The Handmaid's Tale' on Hulu: What Should Catholics
Think?". Faith & Family Media Blog

21