Historical notes

Question 1

the repression of Gildead

Answer 1

Additional facts indicate that the theocratic repression found in Gilead also existed in Seattle and Syracuse

Question 2

The epilogue reveals information

Answer 2

beyond Offred’s experience—the identity of the Commander, the purges that took place under the regime, and the success of the underground resistance at infiltrating the structure.

Question 3

Nick

Answer 3

was a member of Mayday, and he did attempt to get Offred out of the country.

Offred’s final fate remains a mystery, but the faithfulness of Nick does not.

Question 4

Gilead’s white, male-dominated patriarchy

Answer 4

In opposition to the Gilead’s white, male-dominated patriarchy, in the new world the whites are the subjects of study, not the scholars and rulers.

Professors have names like Johnny Running Dog and Maryann Crescent Moon, which suggests that Native Americans dominate the academy.

Question 5

belittling her story

Answer 5

They belittle her tale and openly prize a few printed pages from the Commander’s computer over her tale of suffering.

This belittling of a woman’s life and glorification of a man’s computer suggests the patriarchal leanings of this new society.

Question 6

society warning

Answer 6

Atwood’s novel urges us to think that such a fate is not far off for societies like ours and like Professor Pieixoto’s, which fancy themselves progressive but hold seeds of patriarchal oppression.

Question 7

Gilead’s customs taken from other societies

Answer 7

this final section shows how places like Gilead have already existed, and how easy that is to forget.