Alma
femaleOne of the Handmaids who shares her name
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The Handmaid’s Tale
Public book overview with generated synopsis from the full running summary.
58 chapters1985en
Summary•EnglishSynopsis
Quick synopsis of the book's plot, generated by our AI models.
June, known as Offred, is a Handmaid in the totalitarian regime of Gilead, forced to endure daily fertility rituals, strict supervision, and haunting memories of her husband Luke and their daughter. She learns to survive within the Commander’s household, navigating the cold hierarchy imposed by Serena Joy, Aunt Lydia, and Guardian Nick while forming tenuous bonds with fellow Handmaids such as Ofglen, Moira, and Cora, all underscored by brutal spectacles like public executions and the secret mantra “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.” Through small acts of defiance—smuggling butter, reading a hidden Bible, clandestine Scrabble games with the Commander, and a night at the underground club Jezebel’s—June clings to hope and builds fragile alliances, even as Ofglen disappears and Moira suffers severe punishment. The emergence of an impostor claiming to be Ofglen, a violent Particicution, and ever‑tightening surveillance drive June toward a desperate escape, but a whispered “Mayday” from Nick summons the Eyes, who storm the house and seize her. The story ends with June being escorted away in a black van, her fate left uncertain as scholars later analyze her diary, highlighting the persistence of resistance amid Gilead’s oppression.
Bibliographic Details
Details from the uploaded book file.
Primary Author
Margaret Atwood
Source Title
The Handmaid’s Tale
Publisher
ePubLibre
Language
en
Summary Language
English
Published Date
1985-01-01
Published Year
1985
Rights
Not available
Contributors
Margaret Atwood (Author)
Identifiers
No identifiers provided.
Description
Offred 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 whose signs are now 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, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred 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…
Characters
Character directory for this processed book.
Angels
neutralGuards stationed outside the fenced football field
Aunt Elizabeth
femalePatrols dormitory with electric cattle prod
Aunt Sara
femalePatrols dormitory with electric cattle prod
Dolores
femaleOne of the Handmaids who shares her name
Janine
femaleOne of the Handmaids who shares her name Janine appears pregnant at the market, reveals she was at the Red Centre with June
June
femaleOne of the Handmaids who shares her name
Moira
femaleOne of the Handmaids who shares her name
Aunt Lydia
femaleAunt Lydia is cited as a guiding authority, comparing the Handmaids' lives to army discipline and describing the bell‑measured time.
Cora
femaleCora is another Handmaid who discusses the Colonies, the Unwomen, and daily hardships with Rita, revealing the limited social network among the women.
Rita
femaleRita is the Martha who works in the kitchen, bakes bread, wears a dull‑green dress with a bib apron, and hands June three market tokens.
Serena Joy
femaleFirst appearance of the Commander’s Wife, identified as Serena Joy
Nick
maleHousehold Guardian who washes the Commander’s car, low status, not issued a woman, lives over the garage, known by June from Rita and Cora, smokes and whistles.
Ofglen
femaleJune’s new Handmaid partner for two weeks, slightly plumper, brown eyes, wears red gloves, walks with short steps, shares covert conversation about the war.
Interpreter
neutralInterpreter in blue suit with red tie, asks tourists for permission to photograph the Handmaids and asks if they are happy
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