The Handmaid's Tale

What this page covers

This unit sits in the Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Novels strand of Literature. Almost everything here is about one novel, and most of it comes as mind maps. They follow themes, motifs, symbols and characters. Slide sets and notes add context, genre, narrative method and chapter summaries.

Where to start

Begin with context. The slide set Historical Context of The Handmaid's Tale links the novel to the dystopian genre. The note The Fantasy and Dystopian Genres adds more on genre and the real-life context that influenced Atwood.

Next, get the story straight. Several resources split the plot into parts, and there are slide sets for chapter ranges. Chapter Synopses of The Handmaid's Tale is a quick way to check where you are.

Characters and themes

The mind maps on Offred, the Commander, Serena Joy, Nick and Ofglen each gather quotations and points on one person. Look at the map on Offred for her life before Gilead and the symbolic color white. The map titled The themes in Handmaid's Tale covers religion, narrative techniques, Atwood's use of language and the rules and routines of Gilead.

For comparison work, the slide set Comparing aspects of narrative (THMT and Frankenstein) looks at narrative voice and point of view. Epigraphs in The Handmaid's Tale explains the three epigraphs and what they signal about tone.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a mind map first, then test yourself. The quiz The Handmaids Tale key quotations: fill in the blank checks whether you can complete lines from the text. The flashcard deck The Handmaid's Tale: Quotes gives you the lines to practice before you try it. Then go back to any map where a quote felt unfamiliar.

1. Read the context slide set.
2. Skim a plot summary.
3. Study a character or theme map.
4. Practice with quotes, then take a quiz.

Choose one map today and see how much you can explain without looking.