Republic of Gilead

The protagonist and narrator of the story is Offred please include at the very least the title. Author is useful too!, a handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. Republic of Gilead is a totalitarian and theocratic state that has replaced the United States of America. They limit human and women’s rights, and ignore religious groups including Christianity. They eventually develop a new society as militarized with new social classes. Offred is a part of women who are called "handmaids.” They constantly reproduce children due to low reproduction rates that arosearised from sterility from pollution and sexually transmitted diseases. Offred is a handmaid to Fred, who is mainly called the Commander and is also the founder of Gilead. Offred’s real name is not Offred. Her name derives from the word ‘of’ followed by the name of ‘Fred’ who is the handmaid’s Commander. Offred also serves for the commander’s wife, Serena Joy. Once assigned to the Commander’s house, Offred’s freedom is completely limited. Gilead’s secret police force watch every move she makes, and she can not go out anywhere.

Offred’s life settles into a restrictive routine. She takes shopping trips with Ofglen, another Handmaid, also her friend. Every month Offred has a “ceremony,” or sex with the Commander while Serena Joy sits behind her, holding her hands. Offred visits the doctor and he offers to have sex with her to get her pregnant, suggesting that her Commander is infertile. She refuses because she is afraid that she could be sent away if caught. After a Ceremony, the Commander sends driver, Nick, to ask Offred to come see him the following night, where his wife is not permitted. She begins visiting him regularly and starts to have an illegal relationship, where they play board games. This was illegal as women are not permitted to read and write. Ofglen talks about how she is part of “Mayday” an underground organization dedicated to overthrowing Gilead.

Offred realizes how unhappy she is. After some time, Offred is still not pregnant. Serena Joy suggests to Offred to have sex with Nick secretly. Serena promises that she will show pictures of Offred’s daughter who she lost, if she has sex with Nick. On the same night, the Commander secretly takes her out to Jezebel’s, where the Commanders mingle with prostitutes. Offred sees Moira working there. The two women meet in a bathroom, and Offred learns that Moira was captured just before she crossed the border. After that night at Jezebel’s, Offred says that she will never see Moira again. The Commander takes Offred upstairs after a few hours, and they have sex. Offred and Nick also have sex and they begin to sleep together frequently. Offred becomes caught up in the affair and ignores Ofglen’s requests that she gather information from the Commander for Mayday. One day, all the Handmaids take part in a group execution, supervised by Aunt Lydia. Offred goes out shopping, and a new Ofglen meets her and tells her that Ofglen hanged herself when she saw the secret police coming for her. After learning that Ofglen committed suicide to avoid arrest,

Offred returns home and Serena confronts her about her trip to Jezebel’s. Offred waits at her from and she sees a black van from the Eyes approach. Nick comes in and tells her that the Eyes are really Mayday members who have come to save her. Offred tells Nick that she thinks she is pregnant. Offred leaves with them, over the Commander’s objections, on her way to punishment or freedom, which she does not know of. The novel closes with an epilogue from 2195, after Gilead has fallen. The ending suggests that Nick arranged Offred’s escape but her fate after that is unknown. A more equal society emerged with a restoration of full rights for women and freedom of religion.