Margaret Atwood's the Handmaid's Tale - Book Report/Review Example

While working in her room, she saw something written on the floor, which literarily means ‘don’t let the bastards grind you down. She later recounts the experiences of her friends that had been assaulted: Moira was beaten, while Janine was raped and this just shows the chaotic conditions that women were faced within the Republic of Gilead. She later discovers that the only way to have salvation was to get pregnant as handmaids are appreciated if they could be productive. During a monthly ritual, the Commander tried to impregnate her as it was customary for the commander to lie with her once a month.

After the rituals, Offred assists Janine in her labor as she delivered a bouncing baby girl. Offred began to get intimate with the commander. The commander’s wife, Serena tells her that she should try to get pregnant with Nick since the commander was not successful in impregnating her, and the advice Offred heeded to. Offred’s conscience haunted her as she knew that she had betrayed her husband, Luke through her affairs with Nick and the commander. A fellow handmaid, Ofglen tells her that she should try to extract any information she could from the Commander.

Ofglen later hung herself when she discovered that the salvages that hung women were coming to get her. Offred was later taken into a black van by the salvages for violating state secrets. The last part of the tale was a projection into the year 2195, where there was a seminar in a University on Gileadean studies, and the tale of Offred the Handmaid was narrated to a large audience. There was chaos in the Republic when the president was shot and a state of emergency was declared by congress.

During this period, women were not allowed the freedom to work or have money with them; they were not also allowed to read anything as it was more like a man’s world.