Study Guides and Lesson Plans for Science Fiction Classics:
The Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood
About The Handmaid's Tale (from the back cover):
Offered is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave
the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets where signs are
now in pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie
on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant because, in an age
of declining births, Offered and other Handmaids are only valued if their ovaries are
viable. Offered can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her
husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money
of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now. Funny, unexpected,
horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing
satire, dire warning, and tour de force.
(Check price for The Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood)
This downloadable e-doc contains: plot summary; character analysis; author biography;
an overview of the novel's themes, style, and historical context; a survey of critical
opinion; excerpts from works of leading critics; study questions; suggestions for further
reading; and much more.
