Summary and Analysis of The Handmaid's Tale: Based on the Book by Margaret Atwood

by Worth Books

So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of The Handmaid's Tale tells you what you need to know--before or after you read Margaret Atwood's book.

Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader.

This short summary and analysis of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood includes:

Historical context
Part-by-part summaries
Analysis of the main characters
Themes and symbols
Important quotes
Fascinating trivia
Glossary of terms
Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work

About Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood's dystopian literary masterpiece tells the story of Offred, a Handmaid living in the near future in what was once the United States. A new theocratic regime called the Republic of Gilead has come to power and changed life as she knew it.

Once Offred had a her own name and a loving family--a husband and daughter--both of which were taken from her; now she belongs to the Commander and his hostile wife, and her only value lies in her ability to bear a child for them. She used to read books and learn; now such things are forbidden to all women.

Gripping, disturbing, and so relevant today, The Handmaid's Tale is a brilliant novel and a chilling warning about what can happen when extreme ideas are taken to their logical conclusions.

The summary and analysis in this book are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of fiction.

Genres: Nonfiction, Dystopia

69 pages, Paperback

Published May 2, 2017

Reviews

[barbara richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Preview

I read this book 1st to get a better understanding of the characters and the gist of the storyline of "The Handmaid's Tale". I highly recommend that you read this book first if you are considering it. It will help you immensely!

[H.G. Gravy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure what people expect from this book but it is exactly what it claims to be. A summary and analysis of "The Handmaid's Tale". However, the book does weigh more on the side of summary in that it goes through a chapter by chapter explanation of what is happening in the book. Then there is a summary of who the characters are in the book.

The analysis aspect doesn't go quite as far and deep. Mainly, there is an interesting section of symbolism which seemed interesting. There's also a quick little section about several bits of trivia about the book which I didn't know.

For the most part, if you are high schooler writing a book report on this novel, you'll likely get all the answers you need to put something together. Otherwise, if you are someone like me who read the novel and then stumbled upon this afterward, you've pretty much got the gist of what the majority of this book has to offer.

[Morgan (youarethelibrarian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this was not as helpful as I thought it would be. I found myself going "WHAT?!" at the end of The Handmaid's Tale, and this was recommended on my kindle for a next read. It has several sections, like "context", "summary", "symbols", etc. The context and symbols sections were very short, and there was a bibliography/recommended articles section towards the end which directed me towards more helpful means of understanding the author's intent.

[Yz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super helpful!!!! You should definitely read this while you read the handmaidens tale and then after for sure. It cleared up most of my questions about the book!

[Ashley Oliverius · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tried to read the actual book for 4 days and got through 85 pages. This summed up each chapter into a paragraph and highlighted what you needed to know.

[Lori Dick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less summary, more analysis

I would have preferred more discussion, analysis or critical review. The majority of the book was simply summarizing the plot.