Character analysis Flashcards
Offred
Offred, the narrator and protagonist of the novel, is an ordinary woman placed in an extraordinary situation. She is intelligent, perceptive, and kind, with a dark sense of humor that makes her descriptions of the bleak horrors of Gilead bearable. After her failed attempt to escape with her husband and daughter, Offred submits to her role in the regime rather than endure further torture or exile. Atwood contrasts her with her feminist activist mother, whose causes Offred often felt uncomfortable with. Offred’s relationship with Luke began as an illicit affair, and she fears joining the resistance. In her affair with Nick, she becomes absorbed by a physicality and autonomy that Gilead has denied her, turning away from participating in Ofglen’s plans. The possibility of escape finally comes through Nick, rather than Offred’s plan herself. Offred’s inertia shows how an oppressive regime like Gilead can destroy most people’s ability to resist it.
The commander
The Commander, the founder of Gilead, poses an ethical dilemma for Offred, as he is the immediate agent of her oppression and bears responsibility for the totalitarian society. Despite his sympathy and friendliness towards Offred, the Commander’s unhappiness and need for companionship make him seem like a prisoner of Gilead’s strictures. Offred feels some sympathy for him, but both Offred and the reader realize that the Commander’s visits with Offred are selfish rather than charitable. They satisfy his need for companionship, but he doesn’t care that they put Offred at great risk. The Commander’s moral blindness is evident in his attempts to explain the virtues of Gilead, as seen in his visit to Jezebel’s club, where elite men of Gilead are allowed to have recreational and extramarital sex. This club reveals the rank hypocrisy that runs through Gileadean society.Offred’s relationship with the Commander is exemplified by a Holocaust documentary where the mistress defends the man she loves, claiming he’s not a monster. Offred believes that anyone can seem human and likable under certain circumstances. However, the Commander’s responsibility for creating Gilead and his callousness towards women’s hell makes him, like the Nazi guard, a monster. This highlights the difficulty in inventing a humanity.
Serena Joy
In the story, Serena Joy, the Commander’s wife, is bitter about the outcome of her husband’s marriage and is forced to take in a Handmaid to conceive a child. Despite her unhappiness, she takes out her anger on Offred, demonstrating her lack of compassion for another woman. Serena’s interaction with Offred is climactic when she arranges for Offred to sleep with Nick, breaking rules to help him get pregnant. However, she benefits from the pregnancy as it will be her baby after birth. Serena also offers to show Offred a picture of her lost daughter if she sleeps with Nick, revealing her knowledge of Offred’s daughter’s whereabouts. She exploits Offred’s loss of a child to obtain her own. Serena’s lack of sympathy makes her the perfect tool for Gilead’s social order, which relies on women’s willingness to oppress other women. Atwood suggests that such women are the glue that binds Gilead.
Moira:
The novel Gilead focuses on the female friendship between Moira and Offred, a character who rejects male-female sexual interactions and stands up against authority through her two escape attempts from the Red Center. Moira, a lesbian, represents an alternative to the meek subservience and acceptance of one’s fate that most women in Gilead adopt. However, when Offred encounters her again, she finds her recaptured and working as a prostitute at Jezebel’s, resigning to her fate. Moira’s resistance is exemplified by her resigned nature, as she becomes resigned to her fate and the crushing effect of a totalitarian state on even the most independent spirit. The novel highlights the importance of maintaining true female friendship and resistance in the face of societal expectations.
