Offred Character Analysis

Start with Offred’s character

The mind map titled HMT Characterisation is a useful starting point for looking at how Offred is presented. It considers what readers learn about her appearance and why that appearance may not be the most important part of her character. Use it to gather initial observations before moving to a map with a broader range of branches.

Several maps share the title Offred, so look at their contents as well as their titles. One covers her life before Gilead and her daughter. Another introduces her as the narrator and considers the perspective she offers on the handmaids.

Follow the connections

After an introductory map, look for the Offred map with branches on her feelings about life in Gilead, relationships, friends and family. Another organizes ideas around setting, dialogue, actions, symbolism and how Offred sees herself and others.

Compare the branches that interest you. For example, consider how a point about Offred’s relationships connects with a point about her feelings. Note where the maps offer different ways to organize the same aspect of her character.

Use a quiz alongside a map

There are no quizzes listed on this page. A free account lets you make your own quizzes and mind maps and save quiz scores. You could turn points from a map into questions, use them to check what you recall, and then return to the map to add or reorganize your notes.

Place the analysis in context

This topic is part of a wider Literature unit. The maps let you focus on Offred’s character while keeping her narration, relationships and setting in view. Character analysis: Offred offers another way into the material, alongside the maps titled Offred and HMT Characterisation.

Choose a map and start tracing the connections that interest you.