Characters
She is the narrator of the story
Offred
The color all the handmaids wear
Red
Only these women are allowed to have children
The handmaids
The central theme of the book
Oppression of women
The wife of Commander Fred, who struggles with jealousy and power
Serena Joy
What the Eyes symbolize in Gilead
fear/surveillance
Women are forbidden from doing this in Gilead, limiting their independence
Reading/writing
The book warns about this type of government
totalitarian regime
The secretive resistance in the story is called?
Mayday
The phrase carved by a previous handmaid, "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum," means what?
Don’t let the bastards grind you down
The secret police who enforce rules and monitor citizens
The Eyes
The book explores how this can be lost when a government suppresses individuality
personal identity/selfhood
What is the name of the main Aunt who trained Offred?
Aunt Lydia
Public hangings show the power of what?
Gilead
Women must dress according to their role; what color do the Handmaids wear, and what color do the Wives wear?
Red and Blue
What is Offred's real name?
June
Gilead uses this to justify laws and oppression
Religion
By showing Offred’s experiences, the story warns readers about what dangers of blindly following rules?
loss of moral judgment/complicity in oppression