The Handmaid's Tale Revision Notes

Summary:

●       In the near future America, specifically Cambridge Massachusetts, the government has been overthrown by religious extremists called The Sons of Jacob, who used military force, and has become the republic of Gilead

●       Gilead is a totalitarian theocracy which is a dictatorship run by a religious group

●       Offred is a Handmaid and is one of the few fertile women left in America, they are forced to bear children for the elite

●       We follow Offred's journey through Gilead whilst also learning about her life through flashbacks

●       Most of the population is sterile and birth rates have declined due to environmental degradation and sexually transmitted diseases

Sons of Jacob:

●       Used military force to create a patriarchal society that focus on reproduction

●       They justify this totalitarian society by interpreting the bible, specifically the Old Testament, literally and maintain absolute control through the constant military presence and and the network of Eyes

Brave New World:

●       Men take mainl

Offred

Summary:

●       Story begins on her assignment to the Commander Fred and his wife Serena Joy

●       She lives with minimal human rights and is forbidden from reading, writing and speaking freely. She can only leave her house on supervised trips to the shops and the doctors

●       Once a month she has to take part in The Ceremony, which is a religious ritual where she is forced to have sex with the Commander. The intentions of the Ceremony are so that she can bear children for  the couple to raise. This has been ‘justified’ by the Sons of Jacob from a scripture in the bible - the story of jacob is where is two wives couldn’t have children so were given handmaids to bear the wives children

●       Flashbacks that show us her life before and the moments leading to her capture. Offred had an affair with a married man named Luke, they eventually married and had a daughter. One day she was turned away from her job as the Sons Of Jacob had made it illegal for women to work and own property. The family attempts to escape to Canada but their daughter is taken from them. They are caught and Offred is taken to the Red Centre

●       The red centre indoctrinates women through the use of violence, coercion and biblical teachings

Present timeline:

●       One day Offred is invited to the Commander's Office where they begin a illegal relationship where they play scrabble and the Commander asks Offred to kiss him

●       She doesn't manage to get pregnant so Serena Joy suggests that Offred should get pregnant with Nick in return for a picture of her daughter. It is supposed to be a one time thing however they develop an illegal relationship

●       They then take part in the Particicution where they beat a man accused of **** to death. Ofglen knocks him…