Offred's Mother, Ofglen & Ofwarren

Offred's Mother and Ofglen

Offred's mother is presented as a highly independent, militant and headstrong woman. Ofglen seems pious at first, but Offred later learns she is part of an underground resistance movement

Offred's mother - protester

Offred's mother is presented as a highly independent, militant and headstrong woman who followed her feminist beliefs and had a child at 37 years old on her own.
She is an ardent protester for women's rights. She burnt pornography in a park whilst her young daughter watched.

Offred's mother's teachings

Offred's mother's teachings fill Offred's mind throughout the novel.
When Offred finds out from Moira that she has seen her mother on a film about the Colonies, we find out that she has been demoted to "Unwoman" status and exiled to work until death in the toxic environment of the Colonies.

Ofglen - first impressions

At first, Ofglen appears to be completely pious.
She seems to endorse her passive role as they first meet for their shopping chores.

Ofglen - rebel

Later on, she tests Offred with her "Mayday" signal and reveals that she is actually a part of an underground resistance movement.
During the Particicution, Ofglen is the most vicious and pointed in her attack on the man. But she does this to save him the suffering of a prolonged attack as she secretly reveals he was part of the resistance group too.

Ofglen's death

Ofglen's end comes when she sees a van appear outside her house. She fears that she has been discovered and hangs herself inside her room.

Ofwarren

Ofwarren, formerly known as Janine, is a Handmaid who appears to abide by the rules and regulations of the Gilead regime, even when it is the detriment of her own sanity.

Gang-raped

Offred's memories of Ofwarren include her "Testifying" to the rest of the Handmaids and Aunts about a time in the past where she was gang-raped.
The Aunts respond by making the other Handmaids chant "Her fault, her fault, her fault".

Trance-like state

Ofwarren seems to accept this treatment in an "ecstasy of abasement".
She later appears to be in a trance-like state. Moira slaps her to bring her back to reality. Moira is worried about her chances of survival if she descends into insanity.

Ofwarren's pregnancy and birth

When Offred is shopping at the start of the novel, she remembers seeing Ofwarren parading herself whilst pregnant around the shop.
Her birth day is attended by all the Handmaids and the Wife and Aunts.
At first, her birth seems healthy. But it is later found out that she has produced a "shredder", which means a baby with birth defects or abnormalities.

Ofwarren's final Particicution

The last mention of Ofwarren is at the Particicution, where she giggles as she clutches a clump of the dead man's hair in her hands. This suggests her total loss of sanity: "But she's let go, totally now, she's in free fall, she's in withdrawal".

1Author Background

1.1Margaret Atwood

1.1.1Margaret Atwood

2Chapter Summaries

2.1Chapter 1: Night I

2.1.1Chapter 1

2.2Chapters 2-6: Shopping II

2.2.1Chapter 2

2.2.2Chapter 3

2.2.3Chapter 4

2.2.4Chapter 5

2.2.5Chapter 6

2.3Chapter 7: Night II

2.3.1Chapter 7

2.4Chapters 8-12: Waiting Room IV

2.4.1Chapter 8

2.4.2Chapter 9

2.4.3Chapter 10

2.4.4Chapter 11

2.4.5Chapter 12

2.5Chapter 13: Nap V

2.5.1Chapter 13

2.6Chapters 14-17: Household VI

2.6.1Chapter 14

2.6.2Chapter 15

2.6.3Chapter 16

2.6.4Chapter 17

2.7Chapter 18: Night VII

2.7.1Chapter 18

2.8Chapters 19-23: Birth Day VIII

2.8.1Chapter 19

2.8.2Chapter 20

2.8.3Chapter 21

2.8.4Chapter 22

2.8.5Chapter 23

2.9Chapter 24: Night IX

2.9.1Chapter 24

2.10Chapters 25-29: Soul Scrolls X

2.10.1Chapter 25

2.10.2Chapter 26

2.10.3Chapter 27

2.10.4Chapter 28

2.10.5Chapter 29

2.11Chapter 30: Night XI

2.11.1Chapter 30

2.12Chapters 31-39: Jezebel's XII

2.12.1Chapter 31

2.12.2Chapter 32

2.12.3Chapter 33

2.12.4Chapter 34

2.12.5Chapter 35

2.12.6Chapter 36

2.12.7Chapter 37

2.12.8Chapter 38

2.12.9Chapter 39

2.13Chapter 40: Night XIII

2.13.1Chapter 40

2.14Chapters 41-45: Salvaging XIV

2.14.1Chapter 41

2.14.2Chapter 42

2.14.3Chapter 43

2.14.4Chapter 44

2.14.5Chapter 45

2.15Chapter 46: Night XV

2.15.1Chapter 46

2.16Historical Notes

2.16.1Historical Notes

3Dedications & Epigraph

3.1Dedications & Epigraph

3.1.1Dedications

3.1.2Epigraph

4Context

4.1Setting

4.1.1Setting

4.2Literary Context & Genre

4.2.1The Canterbury Tales & The Scarlet Letter

4.2.2Links to Dystopian Fiction

4.3Political Context

4.3.1Berlin & Iran

4.3.2The New Right in America

4.4Historical Context

4.4.1Puritan New England

4.5Parallels: Read World & Gilead

4.5.1The Underground Femaleroad

4.5.2Children of Ham & Soul Scrolls

4.5.3Offred's Tattoo, Salvaging & Illegal Abortions

4.5.4Unwomen, Colonies & Giving Away Offred's Daughter

4.6Religious Context

4.6.1Religious Context

5Narrative Structure & Literary Techniques

5.1Narrative Structure

5.1.1Narrative Structure

5.2Literary Techniques

5.2.1Literary Techniques

5.2.2Colour Symbolism

6Themes & Imagery

6.1Themes

6.1.1Survival & Language

6.1.2The Female Body

6.2Imagery

6.2.1The Garden & Doubles

7Characters

7.1Female Characters

7.1.1Offred & Moira

7.1.2Offred's Mother, Ofglen & Ofwarren

7.1.3Serena Joy & Aunt Lydia

7.2Male Characters

7.2.1The Commander

7.2.2Nick & Luke

8Readings

8.1Readings of The Handmaid's Tale

8.1.1Eco-Criticism

8.1.2Complacency

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