The Handmaid's Tale Discussion Questions

[Jennifer]

Discussion questions from Gail Bowen
1. In the opening paragraph of The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood’s protagonist describes the gymnasium that houses the women being ‘reeducated’ by the totalitarian Christian theocracy that has overthrown the U.S. Government.
“Dances would have been held there; the music lingered, a palimpsest of unheard sound, style upon style, an undercurrent of drums, a forlorn wail,
garlands made of tissue-paper flowers, cardboard devils, a revolving ball of mirrors, powdering the dances with a snow of light.”
The word “palimpsest” is defined as “a very old document from which writing has been partially or completely erased to make room for another text”.
How does the concept of palimpsest, of the past informing the present, drive Atwood’s novel?
2. In Chapter Seven, Offred says, “The night is my own time, to do with as I will, as long as I am quiet.” How does Atwood use night and day to tell Offred’s story?
3. In Chapter Sixteen, Offred reflects on the effect The Ceremony has on two of its three main players:
Offred and Serena Joy. She asks herself “Which of us is it worse for, her or me?” In ways large or small, everyone in Gilead seems to chafe at the restraints of the new system. What does that general resistance reveal about human nature?
4. The narrative of The Handmaid’s Tale ends with questions, not answers. Does this satisfy you? If not, why not?
5. Do the Historical Notes at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale add or detract from the novel as a whole?
Further discussion questions
1. The Handmaid’s Tale is a work of speculative fiction. In what ways does it reflect what is happening in the world today?
2. What do you think happens to Offred in the end?
3. The book starts with three quotes. How do they relate to the novel?
4. Moira is a character who refuses categorization. What does she symbolize?