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The Handmaid's Tale Study Guide

by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale study guide contains a biography of Margaret Atwood, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

The narrator was in an old high school gymnasium. The Aunts patrolled at night, and men with guns guarded her and the other women from the outside. Now she is in another room, a normal bedroom. She wears a red dress, red gloves, and shoes. Her head and most of her face are covered with a stiff, white veil. She goes shopping, taking with her tokens to be exchanged for food. The narrator wishes the other women, the "Marthas", were friendlier, and wonders why the Wife envies her. She remembers arriving in the house and recognizing the Wife from a televised Gospel Service she used to watch as a girl. Next, the narrator walks to meet her partner, passing Nick, the chauffeur, in the yard. She waits on the corner until the other woman, her mirror…

Read the full The Handmaid's Tale Summary

• The Handmaid's Tale Summary
• About The Handmaid's Tale
• Character List
• Glossary of Terms
• Major Themes
• Summary and Analysis of I: Night - II: Shopping
• Summary and Analysis of III: Night - IV: Waiting Room
• Summary and Analysis of V: Nap - VI: Household
• Summary and Analysis of VII: Night - VIII: Birth Day
• Summary and Analysis of IX: Night - X: Soul Scrolls
• Summary and Analysis of XI: Night - XII: Jezebel's
• Summary and Analysis of XIII: Night - XIV: Salvaging
• Summary and Analysis of XV: Night - Historical Notes
• About Speculative Fiction
• Related Links on The Handmaid's Tale
• Suggested Essay Questions
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 3
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 4
• Author of ClassicNote and Sources

• The Handmaid's Tale: Major Themes
• The Handmaid's Tale: Essays
• The Handmaid's Tale: Questions
• The Handmaid's Tale: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
• Margaret Atwood: Biography