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{{Short description|1985 novel by Margaret Atwood}}
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{{Distinguish|The Handmaiden{{!}}''The Handmaiden''}}
{{Redirect|Marthas||Martha (disambiguation)}}
{{For-multi|the television series|The Handmaid's Tale (TV series){{!}}''The Handmaid's Tale'' (TV series)|the series finale of the television series|The Handmaid's Tale (The Handmaid's Tale){{!}}The Handmaid's Tale (''The Handmaid's Tale'')|the film|The Handmaid's Tale (film)|the opera|The Handmaid's Tale (opera)}}
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{{Use Canadian English|date=May 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox book <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject Books -->
| name         = The Handmaid's Tale
| image        = TheHandmaidsTale(1stEd).jpg
| caption      = Cover of the first edition
| author       = [[Margaret Atwood]]
| illustrator  =
| cover_artist = Tad Aronowicz,<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Cosstick|first=Ruth|title=Book review: ''The Handmaids Tale''|url=https://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/cmarchive/vol14no1/handmaidstale.html|magazine=Canadian Review of Materials|publisher=CM Archive|date=January 1986|volume=14|issue=1|access-date=2016-06-26|quote=Tad Aronowicz's jaggedly surrealistic cover design is most appropriate.|archive-date=18 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918014907/http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/cmarchive/vol14no1/handmaidstale.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> design; Gail Geltner, collage (first edition, hardback)
| country      = Canada
| language     = English
| genre        = [[Dystopian novel]]<br>[[Speculative fiction]]<br>[[Tragedy]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Brown|first=Sarah|title=Tragedy in Transition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4CMq2Cirr4AC&q=handmaid%27s+tale+%22tragedy%22&pg=PA45|page=45|isbn=9780470691304|date=15 April 2008|publisher=John Wiley & Sons |access-date=3 October 2020|archive-date=23 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323093354/https://books.google.com/books?id=4CMq2Cirr4AC&q=handmaid%27s+tale+%22tragedy%22&pg=PA45|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Taylor|first=Kevin|title=Christ the Tragedy of God: A Theological Exploration of Tragedy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kEBvDwAAQBAJ&q=%22handmaid%27s+tale%22+kevin+taylor&pg=PT287|isbn=9781351607834|date=21 September 2018|publisher=Routledge |access-date=3 October 2020|archive-date=23 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323093354/https://books.google.com/books?id=kEBvDwAAQBAJ&q=%22handmaid%27s+tale%22+kevin+taylor&pg=PT287|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Kendrick|first=Tom|title=Margaret Atwood's Textual Assassinations: Recent Poetry and Fiction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cEomBiT6d9IC&q=the+handmaid%27s+tale+%22tragedy%22&pg=PA148|page=148|isbn=9780814209295|year=2003|publisher=Ohio State University Press |access-date=3 October 2020|archive-date=23 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323093354/https://books.google.com/books?id=cEomBiT6d9IC&q=the+handmaid%27s+tale+%22tragedy%22&pg=PA148|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Stray|first=Christopher|title=Remaking the Classics: Literature, Genre and Media in Britain 1800-2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jdXUAAAAQBAJ&q=Torn+by+Desire:+Sparagmos+in+Greek+Tragedy+and+Recent+Fiction+%22Handmaid%27s+tale%22&pg=PA78|page=78|isbn=9781472538604|date=16 October 2013|publisher=A&C Black |access-date=3 October 2020|archive-date=23 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323093404/https://books.google.com/books?id=jdXUAAAAQBAJ&q=Torn+by+Desire:+Sparagmos+in+Greek+Tragedy+and+Recent+Fiction+%22Handmaid%27s+tale%22&pg=PA78|url-status=live}}</ref>
| media_type   = Print ([[Hardcover]] and [[Paperback]])
| publisher    = [[McClelland and Stewart]], 
[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]] ([[ebook]])
| release_date = April 17, 1985
| pages        = 311
| isbn         = 0-7710-0813-9
| followed_by  = [[The Testaments]]
| congress     = PR9199.A8 H3618
| dewey        = 819.1354
| oclc         = 12825460
}}

'''''The Handmaid's Tale''''' is a futuristic [[dystopian novel]]<ref name="GradesaverSpecFic">{{cite web | url = http://www.gradesaver.com/the-handmaids-tale/study-guide/section9/ | title = The Handmaid's Tale Study Guide: About Speculative Fiction | website = Gradesaver | date = 22 May 2009 | access-date = 23 May 2009 | archive-date = 16 June 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140616092648/http://www.gradesaver.com/the-handmaids-tale/study-guide/section9 | url-status = live }}</ref> by Canadian author [[Margaret Atwood]] published in 1985.{{sfn|Atwood|1985}} It is set in a near-future [[New England]] in a [[patriarchal]], [[Totalitarianism|totalitarian]] [[theonomy|theonomic]] state known as the Republic of Gilead, which has overthrown the [[United States]] [[Federal government of the United States|government]].<ref name="IsomaaKorpuaTeittinen2020">{{cite book |last1=Isomaa |first1=Saija |last2=Korpua |first2=Jyrki |last3=Teittinen |first3=Jouni |title=New Perspectives on Dystopian Fiction in Literature and Other Media |date=27 August 2020 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |isbn=978-1-5275-5872-4 |page=70 |language=English |quote=Although theonomy originally refers to the Biblical past, in fiction it can be seen as a possible form of futuristic dystopian society, as is evident in Margaret Atwood's ''The Handmaid's Tale'' (1985). The theonomic government ruled by Lord Protector Cromwell in ''The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' is quite different from the one in Atwood's novel because there is a constant power struggle.}}</ref> Offred is the central character and narrator and one of the "Handmaids": women who are forcibly assigned to produce children for the "Commanders", who are the ruling class in Gilead.

The novel explores themes of powerless women in a patriarchal society, loss of female agency and individuality, suppression of reproductive rights, and the various means by which women resist and try to gain individuality and independence. The title echoes the component parts of [[Geoffrey Chaucer]]'s ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]'', which is a series of connected stories (such as "[[The Merchant's Tale]]" and "[[The Parson's Tale]]").<ref name="AtwoodNYT2017" /> It also alludes to the tradition of fairy tales where the central character tells her story.<ref name=":2" />

''The Handmaid's Tale'' won the 1985 [[Governor General's Award]] and the first [[Arthur C. Clarke Award]] in 1987; it was also nominated for the 1986 [[Nebula Award]], the 1986 [[Booker Prize]], and the 1987 [[Prometheus Award]]. In 2022, ''The Handmaid's Tale'' was included on the "[[Big Jubilee Read]]" list of 70 books by [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] authors, selected to celebrate the [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2Ynpj933DJ2YG5nsMS6fn8k/a-literary-celebration-of-queen-elizabeth-iis-record-breaking-reign|title=The Big Jubilee Read: A literary celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's record-breaking reign|website=BBC|date=17 April 2022|access-date=18 June 2022|archive-date=6 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606154853/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2Ynpj933DJ2YG5nsMS6fn8k/a-literary-celebration-of-queen-elizabeth-iis-record-breaking-reign|url-status=live}}</ref> The book has been adapted into a [[The Handmaid's Tale (film)|1990 film]], a [[The Handmaid's Tale (opera)|2000 opera]], [[The Handmaid's Tale (TV series)|a 2017 television series]], and other media. A sequel novel, ''[[The Testaments]]'', was published in 2019.

==Plot summary==
After staging an attack killing the [[President of the United States]] and most of [[United States Congress]], a radical political group called the "Sons of [[Jacob]]" uses [[theonomy|theonomic]] ideology to launch a revolution.<ref name="IsomaaKorpuaTeittinen2020"/> The [[United States Constitution|Constitution of the United States]] is suspended, newspapers are [[Censorship in the United States|censored]], and the [[United States]] is reformed into a [[military dictatorship]] known as the Republic of Gilead. The new regime quickly consolidates its power, overtaking all other religious groups, including [[Christianity in the United States|Christian]] denominations.

The regime reorganizes society using a peculiar interpretation of some [[Old Testament]] ideas, and a new militarized, hierarchical model of social and religious theonomy is established among its new [[social class]]es. One of the most significant changes is the limitation of [[women's rights]]. Women are relegated to the lowest-ranking class and are denied the right to own property, read, and write. Women are deprived of control over their reproductive functions. Although the regime controls most of the country, various rebel groups continue to operate.

The story is told in the first-person by a woman named Offred, considered a [[criminal]] for trying to [[Immigration from the United States to Canada|escape]] to [[Canada]] with a forged [[passport]] with her husband and five-year-old daughter; she is also considered an adulterer for being married to a divorced man. Her marriage was forcibly dissolved, and her daughter was taken from her. Instead of being sentenced under the Republic of Gilead's draconian [[Criminal justice|criminal justice system]], Offred accepted training to become a "Handmaid" at the [[Rachel]] and [[Leah]] Centre, an alternative only available to fertile women: [[environmental pollution]] and [[Ionizing radiation|radiation]] have drastically affected [[fertility]], and she is one of the few remaining women who can conceive. She has been assigned to produce children for the "Commanders", the ruling class of men, and is made a Handmaid, a role based on the [[Bible|biblical]] story of [[Rachel]] and her handmaid [[Bilhah]].

Women are classed socially and wear uniforms, ranked highest to lowest: the Commanders' Wives in sky blue, their unmarried daughters in white, the Handmaids in red with obvious large white [[Bonnet (headgear)|bonnets]], the Aunts (who train and [[Indoctrination|indoctrinate]] the Handmaids) in brown, the Marthas (cooks and maids, possibly unmarried [[Sterility (physiology)|sterile]] women [[Menopause|past child-bearing years]]) in green, Econowives (the wives of lower-ranking men who handle everything in the [[domestic sphere]]) in blue, red and green stripes, and widows in black.

Offred details her life, starting with her third assignment as a Handmaid to a Commander. Interspersing narratives of her present-day experiences are flashbacks of her life before and during the beginning of the revolution, including her failed escape, indoctrination by the Aunts, and her friend Moira's escape from the indoctrination facility. At her new home, she is treated poorly by the Commander's wife, Serena Joy, a former [[Christian media]] personality who supported women's domesticity and subordinate role well before Gilead was established.

To Offred's surprise, the Commander asks to see her outside of the "Ceremony", ritualized rape conducted during the Handmaids' likely fertile period each month, with the wives present, intended to result in [[Conception (biology)|conception]]. His request to see her in the library is illegal in Gilead, but they meet nevertheless. They primarily play ''[[Scrabble]]'' and Offred is allowed to ask favors of him, such as information or material items. He asks Offred to kiss him "as if she meant it" and tells her about his strained relationship with his wife. Finally, he gives her lingerie and takes her to a covert, government-run [[brothel]] using [[Jezebel]]s, women forced into sanctioned sex slavery. Offred unexpectedly encounters an emotionally broken Moira there, who tells her that those found breaking the law are sent to the "Colonies" to clean up [[toxic waste]] or are allowed to work as Jezebels as punishment.

In the days between her visits to the Commander, Offred also learns her shopping partner, a woman called Ofglen, is with the Mayday [[Resistance movement|resistance]], an underground network working to overthrow Gilead's government. Not knowing of Offred's criminal acts with her husband, Serena begins to suspect that he is infertile, so she arranges for Offred to have sex with Nick, the Commander's personal servant, who had attempted to talk to her before and shown interest. Serena offers Offred information about her daughter in exchange. She later brings her a photograph of Offred's daughter, which leaves Offred feeling dejected, as she believes she has been erased from her daughter's life.

After their initial sexual encounter, Offred and Nick begin to meet on their own initiative as well; she discovers that she enjoys these intimate moments despite memories of her husband, and shares potentially dangerous information about her past with him. Offred later tells Nick that she thinks she is pregnant.

Offred hears from a new walking partner that Ofglen has disappeared (reported as a suicide). She [[Suicidal thoughts|contemplates suicide]] when Serena finds evidence of the illegal relationship with the Commander. Shortly afterward, men arrive at the house wearing uniforms of the [[secret police]], known as the Eyes of God or simply "Eyes", to take her away. As she is led to a waiting van, Nick tells her to trust him and go with the men. Offred is unsure if Nick or the men are Eyes or secretly members of Mayday, or if they are here to capture her or aid in her escape; she ultimately enters the van. Her future remains uncertain, while Serena and the Commander are left bereft in their house, each contemplating the repercussions of Offred's capture on their lives.

The novel concludes with a [[metafictional]] [[epilogue]], described as a partial transcript of an international historical association conference taking place in the year 2195. The male keynote speaker explains that Offred's narrative was initially recorded on a set of audio cassettes, a technology roughly 200 years outdated at that time, and later transcribed by historians. The speaker appears to be very dismissive of the misogyny of Gilead and interprets the story's title as a sexist joke. He also comments on the difficulty of authenticating the account, due to how few records have survived from the early years of Gilead's existence, and speculates on the eventual fates of Offred and her acquaintances.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Grace |first=Dominick M. |date=1998 |title="The Handmaid's Tale": "Historical Notes" and Documentary Subversion |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4240726 |journal=Science Fiction Studies |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=481–494 |issn=0091-7729}}</ref>

== Background ==
Fitting with her statements that ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a work of [[speculative fiction]], not [[science fiction]], Atwood's novel offers a [[Satire|satirical]] view of various social, political, and religious trends of early Puritanism in the United States. Atwood notes that "[n]ations never build apparently radical forms of government on foundations that aren’t there already," and further describes the novel's setting as a potential cover story for ''how'' someone might seize power in the United States''.'' Such a situation, argues Atwood, would "need only the opportunity of a period of social chaos to reassert itself."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Atwood |first=Margaret |date=2018-04-25 |title=Margaret Atwood on How She Came to Write The Handmaid’s Tale |url=https://lithub.com/margaret-atwood-on-how-she-came-to-write-the-handmaids-tale/ |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=Literary Hub |language=en-US}}</ref>

Atwood argues that all of the scenarios offered in ''The Handmaid's Tale'' have actually occurred in real life—in an interview she gave regarding her later novel ''[[Oryx and Crake]]'', Atwood maintains that "As with ''The Handmaid's Tale'', I didn't put in anything that we haven't already done, we're not already doing, we're seriously trying to do, coupled with trends that are already in progress... So all of those things are real, and therefore the amount of pure invention is close to nil."<ref name=":12" /> Atwood was known to carry around [[newspaper]] clippings to her various interviews to support her fiction's basis in reality.<ref name=":22"/> Atwood has explained that ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a response to those who say the oppressive, totalitarian, and religious governments that have taken hold in other countries throughout the years "can't happen here"—but in this work, she has tried to show how such a takeover might play out.<ref name=":42"/>

Atwood was also inspired by the [[Iranian Revolution|Islamic revolution in Iran]] in 1978–79 that saw a theocracy established that drastically reduced the [[Women's rights in Iran|rights of women]] and [[Islamic Revolution Committees|imposed]] a strict dress code on [[Iranian women]], very much like that of Gilead.{{sfn|Hammill|2008|p=525}} In ''The Handmaid's Tale'', a reference is made to the [[Islamic Republic of Iran]] in the form of the history book ''Iran and Gilead: Two Late Twentieth Century Monotheocracies'' mentioned in the endnotes describing the historians' convention in 2195.{{sfn|Hammill|2008|p=525}} Atwood's picture of a society ruled by men who professed high moral principles, but are in fact self-interested and selfish was inspired by observing [[Politics of Canada|Canadian politicians]] in action, especially in her hometown of [[Toronto]], who frequently profess in a very sanctimonious manner to be acting from the highest principles of morality while in reality the opposite is the case.{{sfn|Hammill|2008|p=525}}

During the [[Canada in World War II|Second World War]], [[Canadian women]] took on jobs in the place of men serving in the military that they were expected to yield to men once the war was over. After 1945, not all women wanted to return to their traditional roles as [[Housewife|housewives]] and mothers, leading to a male backlash.{{sfn|Hammill|2008|p=527}} Atwood was born in 1939, and while growing up in the 1950s she saw first-hand the complaints against women who continued to work after 1945 and of women who unhappily gave up their jobs, which she incorporated into her novel.{{sfn|Hammill|2008|p=527}} The way in which the narrator is forced into becoming an unhappy housewife after she loses her job, in common with all the other women of Gilead, was inspired by Atwood's memories of the 1950s.{{sfn|Hammill|2008|p=527}}

Atwood's inspiration for the Republic of Gilead came from her study of early [[American Puritanism|American Puritans]] while at Harvard, which she attended on a [[Woodrow Wilson Fellowship]].<ref name=":11" /> Atwood argues that the modern view of the Puritans—that they came to America to flee [[religious persecution]] in England and set up a [[Religious tolerance|religiously tolerant]] society—is misleading, and that instead, these Puritan leaders wanted to establish a monolithic [[theonomy]] where religious dissent would not be tolerated.<ref name=":11" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Croteau |first1=David A. |title=You Mean I Don't Have to Tithe?: A Deconstruction of Tithing and a Reconstruction of Post-Tithe Giving |date=1 February 2010 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-60608-405-2 |page=152 |language=English |quote=Theonomists (or, Christian Reconstructionists) view themselves in the tradition of Calvin, the Westminster Confession, and the new england Puritans.}}</ref>

Atwood has a personal connection to the Puritans, and she dedicates the novel to her own ancestor [[Mary Webster (alleged witch)|Mary Webster]], who was [[Witch-hunt|accused of witchcraft]] in Puritan New England but survived her hanging.<ref name=":13" /> Due to the totalitarian nature of Gileadean society, Atwood, in creating the setting, drew from the "utopian idealism" present in 20th-century régimes, such as [[People's Republic of Kampuchea|Cambodia]] and [[Socialist Republic of Romania|Romania]], as well as earlier New England Puritanism.<ref name=":32"/> Atwood has argued that a coup, such as the one depicted in ''The Handmaid's Tale'', would misuse religion in order to achieve its own ends.<ref name=":32" /><ref name=":14" />

Atwood, in regards to those leading Gilead, further stated:<ref name="Williams2017" />

<blockquote>I don't consider these people to be Christians because they do not have at the core of their behaviour and ideologies what I, in my feeble Canadian way, would consider to be the core of Christianity ... and that would be not only love your neighbours but love your enemies. That would also be "I was sick and you visited me not" and such and such ...And that would include also concern for the environment, because you can't love your neighbour or even your enemy, unless you love your neighbour's oxygen, food, and water. You can't love your neighbour or your enemy if you're presuming policies that are going to cause those people to die. ... Of course faith can be a force for good and often has been. So faith is a force for good particularly when people are feeling beleaguered and in need of hope. So you can have bad iterations and you can also have the iteration in which people have got too much power and then start abusing it. But that is human behaviour, so you can't lay it down to religion. You can find the same in any power situation, such as politics or ideologies that purport to be [[Atheism|atheist]]. Need I mention the former [[Soviet Union]]? So it is not a question of religion making people behave badly. It is a question of human beings getting power and then wanting more of it.</blockquote>

In the same vein, Atwood also declared that "In the real world today, some religious groups are leading movements for the protection of vulnerable groups, including women."<ref name="AtwoodNYT2017" /> Atwood draws connections between the ways in which Gilead's leaders maintain their power and other examples of actual [[Totalitarianism|totalitarian governments]]. In her interviews, Atwood offers up [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)|Afghanistan]] as an example of a religious theocracy forcing [[Women in Afghanistan|women]] out of the public sphere and into their homes,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Atwood |first1=Margaret |title=Taking the veil |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/nov/17/afghanistan.weekend7 |website=The Guardian |date=17 November 2001 |access-date=1 January 2022 |archive-date=1 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101231339/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/nov/17/afghanistan.weekend7 |url-status=live }}</ref> as in Gilead.<ref name=":22"/><ref name=":11" />

The "state-sanctioned murder of dissidents" was inspired by the [[History of the Philippines (1965–1986)|Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos]], and the last [[General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party]] [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]]'s obsession with increasing the birth rate ([[Decree 770]]) led to the strict policing of pregnant women and the outlawing of birth control and [[Abortion in Romania|abortion]].<ref name=":22"/> However, Atwood clearly explains that many of these actions were not just present in other cultures and countries, "but within [[Western civilization|Western society]], and within the 'Christian' tradition itself".<ref name=":32"/>

The Republic of Gilead struggles with [[infertility]], making Offred's services as a Handmaid vital to producing children and thus reproducing the society. Handmaids themselves are "untouchable", but their ability to signify status is equated to that of slaves or servants throughout history.<ref name=":32"/> Atwood connects their concerns with infertility to real-life problems our world faces, such as radiation, chemical pollution, and [[sexually transmitted disease]] ([[HIV/AIDS]] is specifically mentioned in the "Historical Notes" section at the end of the novel, which was a relatively new disease at the time of Atwood's writing whose long-term impact was still unknown). Atwood's strong stance on environmental issues and their negative consequences for our society has presented itself in other works such as her ''[[MaddAddam]]'' trilogy, and refers back to her growing up with biologists and her own scientific curiosity.<ref name=":5" />

Atwood has described writing ''The Handmaid's Tale'' in an array of locations. In a 2018 article for [[LitHub]], she recalls that she started the manuscript in spring 1984 while living in West Berlin, returned to Canada in June 1984, writing there through the fall, and then finished the book in [[Tuscaloosa]], [[Alabama]], where she held an MFA chair in the [[University of Alabama]]'s English department for 1985's spring semester.<ref>{{cite web|last=Atwood|first=Margaret|title= Margaret Atwood on How She Came to Write ''The Handmaid's Tale'': The Origin Story of an Iconic Novel |url=https://lithub.com/margaret-atwood-on-how-she-came-to-write-the-handmaids-tale/|publisher=LitHub |date=April 25, 2018|access-date=2025-10-17}}</ref> The copyright page of the novel contains the line "The author would like to thank the [[DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program|D.A.A.D]] in West Berlin and the English department at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, for providing time and space." Atwood has said that the first person to read the manuscript was her friend and fellow novelist [[Valerie Martin]], who was also teaching at Alabama. Atwood's memory is that Martin offered some mild praise along the lines of "I think you’ve got something here,”<ref>{{cite web |last=Atwood|first=Margaret|title= Margaret Atwood on How She Came to Write ''The Handmaid's Tale'': The Origin Story of an Iconic Novel |url=https://lithub.com/margaret-atwood-on-how-she-came-to-write-the-handmaids-tale/|publisher=LitHub |date=April 25, 2018|access-date=2025-10-17}}</ref> while Martin remembers her immediate reaction was more like, "you're about to be rich!"<ref>{{cite web|last=Biguenet|first=John|title= An Interview with Valerie Martin |url=https://brickmag.com/an-interview-with-valerie-martin/|publisher=Brick Magazine |date=March 28, 2011|access-date=2025-10-17}}</ref>

==Characters==
===Offred===
Offred is the [[protagonist]] and [[narrator]] who takes the readers through life in Gilead. She was labelled a "wanton woman" when Gilead was established because she had married a man who was divorced. All divorces were nullified by the new government, meaning her husband was now considered still married to his first wife, making Offred an adulteress. In trying to escape Gilead, she was separated from her husband and daughter.<ref name="GradesaverCharList"/>

She is part of the first generation of Gilead's women, those who remember pre-Gilead times. Proved fertile, she is considered an important commodity and has been placed as a "Handmaid" in the home of "the Commander" and his wife Serena Joy, to bear a child for them (Serena Joy is believed to be infertile).<ref name="GradesaverCharList">{{cite web | url = http://www.gradesaver.com/the-handmaids-tale/study-guide/character-list/ | title =''The Handmaid's Tale'' Study Guide: Character List | publisher = Gradesaver | date = 22 May 2009 | access-date = 23 May 2009 | archive-date = 14 May 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090514093605/http://www.gradesaver.com/the-handmaids-tale/study-guide/character-list | url-status = live }}<!--Some of the information in the sec. on Characters below and other sections of this Wikipedia article may have been taken from this or a similar secondary source. Such sources need to be identified, acknowledged, and cited properly throughout to avoid appearance of [[Wikipedia:Plagiarism|Plagiarism]].--></ref> Readers are able to see Offred's resistance to the Republic of Gilead on the inside through her thoughts.

Sometimes Offred has thoughts most readers would disagree with, such as the Ceremony not being rape because she agreed to be a Handmaid, despite the implication that she had no real choice (the alternative may have been execution, or [[penal labour|hard labour]] cleaning nuclear waste). This may be a belief she has adapted to [[cognitive dissonance|lessen her mental strain]], or may be due to brainwashing during her Handmaid training.

Offred is a [[slave name]] that describes her function: she is "of Fred" (i.e., she belongs to Fred – presumed to be the name of the Commander – and is considered a [[concubine]]). In the novel, Offred says that she is ''not'' a concubine, but a tool; a "two-legged womb". The Handmaids' names say nothing about who the women really are; their only identity is as the Commander's property. "Offred" is also a pun on the word "offered", as in "offered as a sacrifice", and "of red" because of the red dress assigned for the Handmaids in Gilead.<ref name="AtwoodNYT2017" />

In Atwood's original novel, Offred's real name is never revealed. In [[Volker Schlöndorff]]'s 1990 film adaptation Offred was given the real name Kate,<ref>[https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/03/the-forgotten-handmaids-tale/388514/ "The Forgotten Handmaid's Tale"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712123211/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/03/the-forgotten-handmaids-tale/388514/ |date=12 July 2018 }}. ''[[The Atlantic]]'', 24 March 2015.</ref> while the television series gave her the real name June.

The women in training to be Handmaids whisper names across their beds at night. The names are "Alma. Janine. Dolores. Moira. June", and all are later accounted for except June. In addition, one of the Aunts tells the Handmaids-in-training to stop "mooning and June-ing".{{Sfn | Atwood | 1986 | p = 220}} From this and other references, some readers have inferred that her birth name could be "June".<ref>{{cite web |title=Offred's Real Name In ''The Handmaid's Tale'' Is the Only Piece of Power She Still Holds |first=Dana |last=Getz |work=[[Bustle (magazine)|Bustle]] |date=26 April 2017 |quote=In Margaret Atwood's original novel, Offred's real name is never revealed. Many eagle-eyed readers deduced that it was June based on contextual clues: Of the names the Handmaids trade in hushed tones as they lie awake at night, "June" is the only one that's never heard again once Offred is narrating. |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/offreds-real-name-in-the-handmaids-tale-is-the-only-piece-of-power-she-still-holds-53607 |access-date=17 November 2017 |archive-date=7 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507221401/https://www.bustle.com/p/offreds-real-name-in-the-handmaids-tale-is-the-only-piece-of-power-she-still-holds-53607 |url-status=live }}</ref> Academic Madonne Miner suggests that "June" is a pseudonym. As "Mayday" is the name of the Gilead resistance, June could be an invention by the protagonist. The Nunavut conference covered in the epilogue takes place in June.{{sfn|Miner|1991|pp=148–168}}

When the Hulu TV series chose to state outright that Offred's real name is June, Atwood wrote that it was not her original intention to imply that Offred's real name is June "but it fits, so readers are welcome to it if they wish".<ref name="AtwoodNYT2017" /> The revelation of Offred's real name serves only to humanize her in the presence of the other Handmaids.

===Commander===
The Commander says that he was a scientist and was previously involved in something similar to [[market research]] before Gilead's inception. Later, it is hypothesized, but not confirmed, that he might have been one of the architects of the Republic and its laws. Presumably, his first name is "Fred", though that, too, may be a pseudonym. He engages in [[Freedom of thought|forbidden intellectual pursuits]] with Offred, such as playing ''[[Scrabble]]'', and introduces her to a secret club that serves as a brothel for high-ranking officers.

He shows his softer side to Offred during their covert meetings and confesses to being "misunderstood" by his wife. Offred learns that the Commander carried on a similar relationship with his previous Handmaid, who later killed herself when his wife found out.

In the epilogue, Professor Pieixoto speculates that one of two figures, both instrumental in the establishment of Gilead, may have been the Commander, based on the name "Fred". It is his belief that the Commander was a man named Frederick R. Waterford who was killed in a [[purge]] shortly after Offred was taken away, charged with harbouring an enemy agent.

===Serena Joy===
Serena Joy is a former [[televangelist]] and the Commander's Wife in the fundamentalist theonomy. Her real name is Pam and she is fond of gardening and knitting. The state took away her power and public recognition, and she tries to hide her past as a television figure. Offred identifies Serena Joy by recalling seeing her on TV when she was a little girl early on Saturday mornings while waiting for the cartoons to air.

Believed to be sterile (although the suggestion is made that the Commander is sterile, Gileadean laws attribute sterility only to women), she is forced to accept that he has use of a Handmaid. She resents having to take part in "The Ceremony", a monthly ritual where the "owner" Commander attempts to impregnate the enslaved Handmaid while she is ovulating. Serena strikes a deal with Offred to arrange for her to have sex with Nick in order to become pregnant. According to Professor Pieixoto in the epilogue, "Serena Joy" or "Pam" are pseudonyms. The character's real name is implied to be Thelma.

===Ofglen===
Ofglen is a neighbour of Offred's and a fellow Handmaid. She is partnered with Offred to do the daily shopping. Handmaids are never alone and are expected to police each other's behaviour. Ofglen is a secret member of the Mayday resistance. In contrast to Offred, she is daring. She knocks out a Mayday spy who is to be [[torture]]d and [[Capital punishment|killed]] in order to save him the pain of a violent death. Offred is told that when Ofglen vanishes, it is because she has committed suicide before the government can take her into custody due to her membership in the resistance, possibly to avoid giving away any information.

A new Handmaid, also called Ofglen, takes Ofglen's place, and is assigned as Offred's shopping partner. She threatens Offred against any thought of resistance. However, she breaks protocol by telling her what happened to the previous Ofglen.

===Nick===
Nick is the Commander's [[chauffeur]], who lives above the garage. Right from the start, Nick comes across as a daring character as he smokes and tries to engage with Offred, both forbidden activities. By Serena Joy's arrangement, he and Offred start a sexual relationship to increase her chance of getting pregnant. If she were unable to bear the Commander a child, she would be declared sterile and shipped to the ecological wastelands of the Colonies. Offred begins to develop feelings for him. Nick is an ambiguous character, and Offred does not know if he is a party loyalist or part of the resistance, though he identifies himself as the latter. The epilogue suggests that he really was part of the resistance, and aided Offred in escaping the Commander's house.

===Moira===
Moira has been a close friend of Offred's since college. In the novel, their relationship represents a female friendship that the Republic of Gilead tries to block. A lesbian, she has resisted the [[homophobia]] of Gileadean society. Moira is taken to be a Handmaid soon after Offred. She finds the life of a Handmaid unbearably oppressive and risks engaging with the guards just to defy the system. She escapes by stealing an Aunt's pass and clothes, but Offred later finds her working as a sex slave in a party-run brothel. She was caught and chose the brothel rather than to be sent to the Colonies. Moira exemplifies defiance against Gilead by rejecting every value that is forced onto the citizens.

===Luke===
Luke was Offred's husband before the formation of Gilead. He was married when he first started a relationship with Offred and divorced his first wife to marry her. Under Gilead, all divorces were retroactively nullified, resulting in Offred being considered an adulteress and their daughter [[Legitimacy (family law)|illegitimate]]. Offred was forced to become a Handmaid and her daughter was given to a loyalist family. Since their attempt to escape to Canada, Offred has heard nothing of Luke. She wavers between believing him dead or imprisoned.

===Professor Pieixoto===
Pieixoto is the "co-discoverer [with Professor Knotly Wade] of Offred's tapes". In his presentation at an academic conference set in 2195, he talks about "the 'Problems of Authentication in Reference to ''The Handmaid's Tale''{{'"}}.<ref name="GradesaverCharList" /> Pieixoto is the person who is retelling Offred's story, and so makes the narration even more [[Unreliable narrator|unreliable]] than it was originally.

===Aunt Lydia===
Aunt Lydia appears in flashbacks where her instructions frequently haunt Offred. Aunt Lydia works at the 'Red Center' where women receive instructions for a life as a Handmaid. Throughout the narrative, Aunt Lydia's pithy pronouncements on the code of conduct for the Handmaids shed light on the philosophy of subjugation of women practised in Gilead. Aunt Lydia appears to be a true believer of Gilead's religious philosophy and seems to take her job as a genuine calling.

In the sequel ''[[The Testaments]]'', however, Aunt Lydia is revealed to have been aiding anti-Gilead resistance networks. Her actions in releasing internal information to selected contacts instigates an internal purge that demolishes Gilead's ability to function and restores the United States. She also writes an autobiography of her life, which she hides in a copy of [[Cardinal John Henry Newman|Cardinal John Henry Newman's]] ''[[Apologia Pro Vita Sua]]'' in the restricted section of the Ardua Hall library.

===Cora===
A Martha (female domestic servants are called Marthas) who works at the Commander's house because she is infertile. She hopes that Offred will get pregnant as she desires to help raise a child. She is friendly towards Offred and even covers up for her when she finds her lying on the floor one morning—a suspicious occurrence by Gilead's standards, worthy of being reported.

=== Rita ===
Rita is a Martha at the Commander's house. Her job is cooking and housekeeping and she is one of the members of the "household". At the start of the novel, Rita has a contempt for Offred and though she is responsible for keeping Offred well fed, she believes a Handmaid should prefer going to the Colonies over working as a sexual slave.

==Setting==
The novel is set in an indeterminate dystopian future, speculated to be around the year 2005,<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2006/11/02/margaret-atwoods-tale/ |title=Margaret Atwood's Tale |last=Oates |first=Joyce Carol |author-link=Joyce Carol Oates |date=2 November 2006 |magazine=[[The New York Review of Books]] |access-date=29 March 2016 |archive-date=10 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410115932/http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2006/11/02/margaret-atwoods-tale/ |url-status=live }}</ref> with a fundamentalist theonomy ruling the territory of what had been the United States but is now the Republic of Gilead. The fertility rates in Gilead have diminished due to environmental toxicity and fertile women are a valuable commodity owned and enslaved by the powerful elite. Individuals are segregated by categories and dressed according to their social functions. Complex dress codes play a key role in imposing social control within the new society and serve to distinguish people by sex, occupation, and [[caste]].

The action takes place in what once was the [[Harvard Square]] neighbourhood of [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]];<ref>{{harvnb| Atwood | 1998 | loc = An Interview | ps=:}} "Q: We can figure out that the main character lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts."</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author-link=Mary McCarthy (author) |last=McCarthy |first=Mary |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/09/books/no-headline-423986.html?pagewanted=2 |title=Breeders, Wives and Unwomen |date=9 February 1986 |access-date=2020-07-30 |work=[[The New York Times Book Review]] |archive-date=29 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729234143/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/09/books/no-headline-423986.html?pagewanted=2 |url-status=live }}</ref> Atwood studied at [[Radcliffe College]], located in this area. As a researcher, Atwood spent a lot of time in the [[Widener Library]] at Harvard which in the novel serves as a setting for the headquarters of the Gilead Secret Service.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Atwood|first=Margaret|title=The Handmaid's Tale|publisher=McClelland and Stewart|year=2019|isbn=978-0-7710-0879-5|location=Canada|pages=xi-xviii}}</ref>

==Gilead society==
===Religion===
Bruce Miller, the creator and executive producer of ''[[The Handmaid's Tale (TV series)|The Handmaid's Tale]]'' television serial, declared with regard to Atwood's book, as well as his series, that Gilead is "a society that's based kind of in a perverse misreading of Old Testament laws and codes".<ref name="OHare2017"/> The author explains that Gilead tries to embody the "utopian idealism" present in 20th-century regimes, as well as earlier [[Puritans#New England Puritans|New England Puritanism]].<ref name=":32">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jan/20/handmaids-tale-margaret-atwood|title=Haunted by the Handmaid's Tale|last=Atwood|first=Margaret|date=20 January 2012|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=3 March 2016|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303203557/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jan/20/handmaids-tale-margaret-atwood|url-status=live}}</ref> Both Atwood and Miller stated that the people running Gilead are "not genuinely Christian".<ref name="LucieSmith2017">{{cite news|url=http://catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2017/05/29/should-catholics-watch-the-handmaids-tale/|title=Should Catholics watch ''The Handmaid's Tale''?|last=Lucie-Smith|first=Alexander|date=29 May 2017|newspaper=[[The Catholic Herald]]|language=en|access-date=18 June 2017|archive-date=4 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804120706/http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2017/05/29/should-catholics-watch-the-handmaids-tale/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="OHare2017"/>

The group running Gilead, according to Atwood, is "not really interested in religion; they're interested in power".<ref name="Williams2017"/> In her [[Christian prayer|prayers]] to God, Offred reflects on Gilead and prays "I don't believe for an instant that what's going on out there is what You meant... I suppose I should say I forgive whoever did this, and whatever they're doing now. I'll try, but it isn't easy."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2017/04/28/reflecting-frightening-lessons-handmaids-tale|title=Reflecting on the frightening lessons of ''The Handmaid's Tale''|last=Blondiau|first=Eloise|date=28 April 2017|publisher=[[America (magazine)|America]]|language=en|access-date=21 June 2017|archive-date=31 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731164109/https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2017/04/28/reflecting-frightening-lessons-handmaids-tale|url-status=live}}</ref> Margaret Atwood, writing on this, says that "Offred herself has a private version of the [[Lord's Prayer]] and refuses to believe that this regime has been mandated by a just and merciful God."<ref name="AtwoodNYT2017">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/10/books/review/margaret-atwood-handmaids-tale-age-of-trump.html|title=Margaret Atwood on What ''The Handmaid's Tale'' Means in the Age of Trump|last=Atwood|first=Margaret|date=10 March 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=21 June 2017|archive-date=15 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315062426/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/10/books/review/margaret-atwood-handmaids-tale-age-of-trump.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Christian churches that do not support the actions of the Sons of Jacob are systematically demolished, and the people living in Gilead are never seen [[church attendance|attending church]].<ref name="OHare2017">{{cite web |url=http://blog.familytheater.org/the-handmaids-tale-on-hulu-what-should-catholics-think |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728184709/http://blog.familytheater.org/the-handmaids-tale-on-hulu-what-should-catholics-think/ |archive-date=28 July 2017 |url-status=dead |title=''The Handmaid's Tale'' on Hulu: What Should Catholics Think? |last=O'Hare |first=Kate |date=16 April 2017 |publisher=[[Family Rosary Crusade|Family Theater Productions]] |website=Faith & Family Media Blog |access-date=26 August 2022}}</ref> Christian denominations, including [[Religious Society of Friends|Quakers]], [[Baptist]]s, [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], and [[Roman Catholics]], are specifically named as enemies of the Sons of Jacob.<ref name="Williams2017">{{cite web|url=https://sojo.net/articles/margaret-atwood-christianity-handmaid-s-tale-and-what-faithful-activism-looks-today|title=Margaret Atwood on Christianity, ''The Handmaid's Tale'', and What Faithful Activism Looks Like Today|last=Williams|first=Layton E.|date=25 April 2017|publisher=[[Sojourners]]|language=en|access-date=18 June 2017|archive-date=1 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401190558/https://sojo.net/articles/margaret-atwood-christianity-handmaid-s-tale-and-what-faithful-activism-looks-today|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="OHare2017"/> Nuns who refuse conversion are considered "unwomen" and banished to the Colonies, owing to their reluctance to marry and refusal (or inability) to bear children. Priests unwilling to convert are executed and hanged from the Wall. Atwood pits Quaker Christians against the regime by having them help the oppressed, something she feels they would do in reality: "The Quakers have gone underground, and are running an escape route to Canada, as—I suspect—they would."<ref name="AtwoodNYT2017"/>

[[Jews]] are named an exception and classified Sons of [[Jacob]]. Offred observes that Jews refusing to convert are allowed to emigrate from Gilead to Israel, and most choose to leave. However, in the epilogue, Professor Pieixoto reveals that many of the emigrating Jews ended up being dumped into the sea while on the ships ostensibly tasked with transporting them to Israel, due to privatization of the "repatriation program" and capitalists' effort to maximize profits. Offred mentions that many Jews who chose to stay were caught [[Crypto-Judaism|secretly practising Judaism]] and executed.

===Women===
;Wives: The top social level permitted to women, achieved by marriage to higher-ranking officers (Commanders). Wives always wear blue dresses and cloaks, suggesting traditional depictions of the [[Virgin Mary]] in historic Christian art. When a Commander dies, his Wife becomes a '''Widow''' and must dress in black until/unless she remarries.

;Daughters: The natural or adopted children of the [[ruling class]]. They wear white until marriage, which is [[Arranged Marriage|arranged]] by the government. The narrator's daughter may have been adopted by an infertile Wife and Commander, and she is shown in a photograph wearing a long white dress.

;Handmaids
[[File:Old Dutch Cleanser in 1913 ad (cropped).jpg|thumb|The [[bonnet (headgear)|bonnet]]s that handmaids wear are modelled on [[Cudahy Packing Company|Old Dutch Cleanser]]'s faceless mascot, which Atwood in childhood found frightening.<ref name="AtwoodNYT2017" />]]
:Fertile women whose [[social function]] is to bear children for infertile wives. [[Handmaid]]s dress in ankle-length red dresses, white caps, and heavy boots. In summer, they change into lighter-weight (but still ankle-length) dresses and slatted shoes. When in public, in winter, they wear ankle-length red cloaks, red gloves, and heavy white [[bonnet (headgear)|bonnet]]s, which they call "wings". The sides of the bonnets stick out like wings, blocking their peripheral vision and shielding their faces from view. Handmaids are women of proven fertility who have broken the law. The law includes both gender crimes, such as lesbianism, and religious crimes, such as adultery (redefined to include sexual relationships with divorced partners since divorce is no longer legal). The Republic of Gilead justifies the use of the Handmaids for procreation by referring to two biblical stories: Genesis 30:1–13 and Genesis 16:1–4. In the first story, Jacob's infertile wife Rachel offers up her handmaid [[Bilhah]] to be a surrogate mother on her behalf, and then her sister Leah does the same with her own handmaid [[Zilpah]] (even though Leah has already given Jacob many sons). In the other story, which appears earlier in Genesis but is cited less frequently, Abraham has sex with his wife's handmaid, [[Hagar (Bible)|Hagar]]. Handmaids are assigned to Commanders and live in their houses. When unassigned, they live at training centres. Handmaids who successfully bear children continue to live at their Commander's house until their children are weaned, at which point they are sent to a new assignment with a new Commander. Those who produce children will never be declared "unwomen" or sent to the Colonies, even if they never have another baby.

;Aunts: Trainers of the Handmaids. They dress in brown. Aunts promote the role of Handmaid as an honourable way for a sinful woman to redeem herself. They police the Handmaids, beating some and ordering the maiming of others. The Aunts have an unusual amount of autonomy, compared to other women of Gilead. They are the only class of women permitted to read and write, although this is only to fulfil the administrative aspect of their role.

;{{anchor|Martha|Marthas}} Marthas: They are older, infertile women who have domestic skills and are compliant, making them suitable as servants within the households of the Commanders and their families. They dress in green. The title of "Martha" is based on the account of [[Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary]] ([[Gospel of Luke]] 10:38–42), in which [[Mary of Bethany|Mary]] listens to Jesus while her sister [[Martha of Bethany|Martha]] works at "all the preparations that had to be made". The duties of Marthas may be tasked to Guardians of the Faith, paramilitary officers who police Gilead's civilian population and guard the Commanders, wherever conflict with Gilead's laws may arise, such as with cleaning a Commander's study where Marthas could obtain literature.

;{{anchor|Econowife|Econowives}} Econowives: Women married to men of lower-rank, not members of the elite. They are expected to perform all the female functions: domestic duties, companionship, and child-bearing. Their dress is multicoloured red, blue, and green to reflect these multiple roles, and is made of notably cheaper material.

The [[division of labour]] among the women generates some resentment. Marthas, Wives and Econowives perceive Handmaids as promiscuous and are taught to scorn them. Offred mourns that the women of the various groups have lost their ability to empathize with each other.

===The Ceremony===
"The Ceremony" is a non-marital [[Human sexual activity|sexual act]] sanctioned for reproduction. The ritual requires the Handmaid to lie on her back between the legs of the Wife during the sex act as if they were one person. The Wife has to invite the Handmaid to share her power this way; many Wives consider this both humiliating and offensive. Offred describes the ceremony:

{{Blockquote | My red skirt is hitched up to my waist, though no higher. Below it the Commander is fucking. What he is fucking is the lower part of my body. I do not say making love, because this is not what he's doing. Copulating too would be inaccurate because it would imply two people and only one is involved. Nor does rape cover it: nothing is going on here that I haven't signed up for.{{sfn|Atwood|1998|p = 94}}}}

==Reception==
===Critical reception===
''The Handmaid's Tale'' received critical acclaim, helping to cement Atwood's status as a prominent writer of the 20th century. Not only was the book deemed well-written and compelling, but Atwood's work was notable for sparking intense debates both in and out of academia.<ref name=Greene>{{Cite journal|last=Greene|first=Gayle|author-link=Gayle Greene|date=July 1986|title=Choice of Evils|jstor=4019952|journal=[[The Women's Review of Books]]|volume=3|issue=10|pages=14–15|doi=10.2307/4019952}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=August 2023|reason=Greene doesn't mention any of this.}} Atwood maintains that the Republic of Gilead is only an extrapolation of trends already seen in the United States at the time of her writing, a view supported by other scholars studying ''The Handmaid's Tale''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Armbruster|first=Jane|date=Fall 1990|title=Memory and Politics – A Reflection on ''The Handmaid's Tale''|jstor=29766564|journal=[[Social Justice (journal)|Social Justice]]|volume=3|issue=41|pages=146–152}}</ref> Many have placed ''The Handmaid's Tale'' in the same category of [[dystopian fiction]] as ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' and ''[[Brave New World]]'',<ref name=":22">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/00/09/03/specials/atwood-gilead.html|title=No Balm in Gilead for Margaret Atwood|last=Rothstein|first=Mervyn|date=17 February 1986|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=25 March 2016|archive-date=26 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326092207/http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/09/03/specials/atwood-gilead.html|url-status=live}}</ref> a categorization that Atwood has accepted and reiterated in many articles and interviews.<ref name=":42">{{Cite journal|last=Atwood|first=Margaret|date=May 2004|title=''The Handmaid's Tale'' and ''Oryx and Crake'' 'In Context'|journal=[[Publications of the Modern Language Association of America|PMLA]]|volume=119|issue=3|pages=513–517|doi=10.1632/003081204X20578|s2cid=162973994}}</ref>

Even today, many reviewers hold that Atwood's novel remains as foreboding and powerful as ever, largely because of its basis in historical fact.<ref name=":13">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/12/20/7424951/does-the-handmaids-tale-hold-up-dystopia-feminism-fiction|title=Does ''The Handmaid's Tale'' hold up?|last=Robertson|first=Adi|date=20 December 2014|work=The Verge|access-date=28 March 2016|archive-date=29 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729131609/https://www.theverge.com/2014/12/20/7424951/does-the-handmaids-tale-hold-up-dystopia-feminism-fiction|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":14">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/sep/26/the-handmaids-tale-margaret-atwood|title=The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood|last=Newman|first=Charlotte|date=25 September 2010|work=The Guardian|access-date=22 March 2016|archive-date=24 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324034147/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/sep/26/the-handmaids-tale-margaret-atwood|url-status=live}}</ref> Yet when her book was first published in 1985, not all reviewers were convinced of the "cautionary tale" Atwood presented. For example, Mary McCarthy's 1986 ''New York Times'' review argued that ''The Handmaid's Tale'' lacked the "surprised recognition" necessary for readers to see "our present selves in a distorting mirror, of what we may be turning into if current trends are allowed to continue".<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/00/03/26/specials/mccarthy-atwood.html|title=Book Review|last=McCarthy|first=Mary|date=9 February 1986|work=The New York Times|access-date=29 March 2016|archive-date=5 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405211258/http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/03/26/specials/mccarthy-atwood.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Genre classification====
{{See also|Social science fiction}}
''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a feminist dystopian novel,<ref>{{Cite book|id={{Gale|H1430008961}}|title=Novels for Students|publisher=Gale|year=2019|editor-last=Hill|editor-first=Melissa Sue|volume=60|chapter=Themes and Construction: The Handmaid's Tale|editor-last2=Lee|editor-first2=Michelle}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://link.gale.com/apps/pub/0HMF/LitRC?u=ric_main&sid=LitRC|title=Contemporary Literary Criticism Select|publisher=Gale|year=2008|chapter=Dystopias in Contemporary Literature|chapter-url-access=subscription|via=Literature Resource Center|access-date=19 May 2020|archive-date=23 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323093359/https://login.microsoftonline.com/bcb5c7a3-3751-4413-b7bf-cb4ff18e7b2e/saml2?sso_reload=true|url-status=live}}</ref> combining the characteristics of [[dystopian fiction]]: "a genre that projects an imaginary society that differs from the author's own, first, by being significantly worse in important respects and second by being worse ''because'' it attempts to reify some [[utopia]]n ideal",<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Beauchamp|first=Gorman|date=Autumn 2009|title=The Politics of ''The Handmaid's Tale''|journal=[[The Midwest Quarterly]]|volume=51|pages=11}}</ref> with the [[Feminist theory|feminist]] utopian ideal which: "sees men or [[Patriarchy|masculine systems]] as the major cause of social and political problems (e.g. war), and presents women as not only at least the equals of men but also as [[Reproductive rights|the sole arbiters of their reproductive functions]]".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Women in Search of Utopia: Mavericks and Mythmakers|last=Gearhart|first=Sally Miller|publisher=Shocken Books|year=1984|isbn=0805239006|editor-last=Baruch|editor-first=Elaine Hoffman|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/womeninsearchofu0000unse/page/296 296]|chapter=Future Visions: Today's Politics: Feminist Utopias in Review|editor-last2=Rohrlich|editor-first2=Ruby|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/womeninsearchofu0000unse/page/296}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Women and Utopia: Critical Interpretations|last1=Barr|first1=Marleen S.|last2=Smith|first2=Nicholas D.|publisher=University Press of America|year=1983|isbn=9780819135599|location=Lanham, MD}}</ref>

''[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]]'' notes that dystopian images are almost invariably images of future society, "pointing fearfully at the way the world is supposedly going in order to provide urgent propaganda for a change in direction".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/dystopias|title=Dystopias|date=25 March 2019|website=The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: SFE|access-date=27 October 2019|edition=3rd|archive-date=15 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190915231434/http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/dystopias|url-status=live}}</ref> Atwood's stated intent was indeed to dramatize potential consequences of current trends.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.library.nashville.org/nashvillereads/margaretatwood_interview_handmaidstale.pdf|title=An Interview with Margaret Atwood on her novel, ''The Handmaid's Tale''|publisher=[[Nashville Public Library]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413050007/http://www.library.nashville.org/nashvillereads/margaretatwood_interview_handmaidstale.pdf|archive-date=13 April 2016|access-date=27 March 2016}}</ref>

In 1985, reviewers hailed the book as a "feminist ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four|1984]]''",<ref name=":8">{{Cite book|title=Margaret Atwood: Vision and Forms|last=Davidson|first=Arnold|publisher=Southern Illinois University Press|year=1988|editor-last=Van Spanckeren|editor-first=Kathryn|location=Carbondale|pages=113–121|chapter=Future Tense: Making History in The Handmaid's Tale}}</ref> citing similarities between the totalitarian regimes under which both protagonists live, and "the distinctively modern sense of nightmare come true, the initial paralyzed powerlessness of the victim unable to act".<ref name=":9">{{Cite journal|last=Feuer|first=Lois|date=Winter 1997|title=The Calculus of Love and Nightmare: ''The Handmaid's Tale'' and the Dystopian Tradition|journal=Critique|volume=38|issue=2|pages=83–95}}</ref> Scholarly studies have expanded on the place of ''The Handmaid's Tale'' in the dystopian and feminist traditions.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":11">{{Cite journal|last=Malak|first=Amin|date=Spring 1997|title=Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' and the Dystopian Tradition|journal=Canadian Literature|issue=112|pages=9–16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://www.archive.org/stream/margaretatwoodvi00vansrich/margaretatwoodvi00vansrich_djvu.txt|title=Margaret Atwood: Vision and Forms|last=Rubenstein|first=Roberta|publisher=Southern Illinois University Press|year=1988|editor-last=Van Spanckeren|editor-first=Kathryn|location=Carbondale|pages=12|chapter=Nature and Nurture in Dystopia: ''The Handmaid's Tale''|access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite journal|last=Neuman|first=Sally|date=Summer 2006|title='Just a Backlash': Margaret Atwood, Feminism, and ''The Handmaid's Tale''|journal=[[University of Toronto Quarterly]]|volume=75|issue=3|pages=857–868}}</ref><ref name=":8" />

The classification of utopian and dystopian fiction as a sub-genre of the collective term, [[speculative fiction]], alongside [[science fiction]], [[fantasy]], and [[Horror fiction|horror]] is a relatively recent convention. Dystopian novels have long been discussed as a type of science fiction; however, with publication of ''The Handmaid's Tale'', Atwood distinguished the terms science fiction and speculative fiction quite intentionally. In interviews and essays, she has discussed why, observing:

{{blockquote|I like to make a distinction between science fiction proper and speculative fiction. For me, the science fiction label belongs on books with things in them that we can't yet do, such as going through a wormhole in space to another universe; and speculative fiction means a work that employs the means already to hand, such as DNA identification and credit cards, and that takes place on Planet Earth. But the terms are fluid.<ref name="Angels" />}}

Atwood acknowledges that others may use the terms interchangeably, but she notes her interest in this type of work is to explore themes in ways that "[[Realism (arts)|realistic]] fiction" cannot do.<ref name="Angels">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/jun/17/sciencefictionfantasyandhorror.margaretatwood|title=Aliens have taken the place of angels|last=Atwood|first=Margaret|date=17 June 2005|newspaper=The Guardian|location=UK|quote=If you're writing about the future and you aren't doing forecast journalism, you'll probably be writing something people will call either science fiction or speculative fiction. I like to make a distinction between science fiction proper and speculative fiction. For me, the science fiction label belongs on books with things in them that we can't yet do, such as going through a wormhole in space to another universe; and speculative fiction means a work that employs the means already to hand, such as DNA identification and credit cards, and that takes place on Planet Earth. But the terms are fluid. Some use speculative fiction as an umbrella covering science fiction and all its hyphenated forms–science fiction fantasy, and so forth–and others choose the reverse... I have written two works of science fiction or, if you prefer, speculative fiction: ''The Handmaid's Tale'' and ''[[Oryx and Crake]]''. Here are some of the things these kinds of narratives can do that socially [[Realism (art)|realistic]] novels cannot do.|author-link=Margaret Atwood|access-date=13 December 2016|archive-date=6 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506142917/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/jun/17/sciencefictionfantasyandhorror.margaretatwood|url-status=live}}</ref>

Among a few science fiction aficionados, however, Atwood's comments were considered petty and contemptuous. (The term speculative fiction was indeed employed that way by certain New Wave writers in the 1960s and early 1970s to express their dissatisfaction with traditional or [[The Establishment|establishment]] science fiction.) [[Hugo Award|Hugo-winning]] science fiction critic [[David Langford]] observed in a column: "''The Handmaid's Tale'' won the very first [[Arthur C. Clarke Award]] in 1987. She's been trying to live this down ever since."<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Langford|first=David|author-link=David Langford|date=August 2003|title=Bits and Pieces|url=https://ansible.uk/sfx/sfx107.html|magazine=[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]|issue=107|access-date=30 October 2019|archive-date=30 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030203409/https://ansible.uk/sfx/sfx107.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Reception in schools===
Atwood's novels, and especially her works of speculative fiction, ''The Handmaid's Tale'' and ''Oryx and Crake'', are frequently offered as examples for the final, open-ended question on the American [[Advanced Placement]] English Literature and Composition exam each year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/exam/exam_information/2002.html#name15|title=AP English Literature and Composition Exam|date=10 July 2006|website=College Board|access-date=26 March 2016|archive-date=25 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325180902/http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/exam/exam_information/2002.html#name15|url-status=live}}</ref> As such, her books are often assigned in high-school classrooms to students taking this Advanced Placement course, despite the mature themes the work presents. Atwood herself has expressed surprise that her books are being assigned to high-school audiences, largely due to her own censored education in the 1950s; however, she has assured readers that this increased attention from high-school students has not altered the material she has chosen to write about since.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2014/12/margaret_atwood_and_the_four_u.html|title=Margaret Atwood and the 'Four Unwise Republicans': 12 surprises from the legendary writer's Reddit AMA|last=Perry|first=Douglas|date=30 December 2014|newspaper=[[The Oregonian]]|access-date=29 March 2016|archive-date=24 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424061759/http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2014/12/margaret_atwood_and_the_four_u.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Censorship in the United States ====

The [[American Library Association]] lists ''The Handmaid's Tale'' as number 37 on the "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000".<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.aclu.org/other/100-most-frequently-challenged-books-1990-2000 | website= [[American Library Association]] | title= The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000 | date= 27 March 2013 | access-date= 11 July 2021 | archive-date= 18 August 2021 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210818231242/https://www.aclu.org/other/100-most-frequently-challenged-books-1990-2000 | url-status= live }}<!-- (some of the ALA's links are no longer active. The ALA website does not update and redirect its moved links automatically; if they are updated, one must perform a new search for them.)--></ref><!--Removed "top 10" claim; not verified; no source; see how her name is not listed in http://search.ala.org/search?q=cache:pV8BtZmm9ZkJ:www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/ALA_print_layout_1_127378_127378.cfm+10+most&access=p&output=xml&ie=UTF-8&client=default_frontend&num=10&site=default_collection&proxystylesheet=ALA&oe=ISO-8859-1 --> In 2019, ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is still listed as the seventh-most challenged book because of profanity, vulgarity, and sexual overtones.<ref>{{Cite web|last=American Library Association|date=26 March 2013|title=Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists|url=http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-05|website=Advocacy, Legislation & Issues|language=en|archive-date=12 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512032100/http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10}}</ref> Atwood participated in discussing ''The Handmaid's Tale'' as the subject of an ALA discussion series titled "One Book, One Conference".<ref name="ALAConf">{{cite web | url = http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/governance/annualreport/annualreport/annualreportarch/20022003/conferences.cfm | title = Annual Report 2002–2003: One Book, One Conference | website= [[American Library Association]] | date = June 2003 | access-date = 21 May 2009 | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091201022613/http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/governance/annualreport/annualreport/annualreportarch/20022003/conferences.cfm | archive-date = 1 December 2009}} Concerns inaugural program featuring [[Margaret Atwood]] held in [[Toronto]], 19–25 June 2003.</ref>
* A 2012 challenge as required reading for a Page High School [[International Baccalaureate]] class and as optional reading for Advanced Placement reading courses at [[Grimsley High School]] in [[Greensboro, North Carolina]] because the book is "sexually explicit, violently graphic and morally corrupt". Some parents thought the book is "detrimental to Christian values".<ref name="Banned">{{Cite book |author=Doyle, Robert P. | title = Banned Books: Defending Our Freedom to Read |year=2017 | publisher = [[American Library Association]] |isbn=978-0-8389-8962-3}}</ref>
*In November 2012, two parents protested against the inclusion of the book on a required reading list in Guilford County, North Carolina. The parents presented the school board with a petition signed by 2,300 people, prompting a review of the book by the school's media advisory committee. According to local news reports, one of the parents said "she felt Christian students are bullied in society, in that they're made to feel uncomfortable about their beliefs by non-believers. She said including books like ''The Handmaid's Tale'' contributes to that discomfort, because of its negative view on religion and its anti-biblical attitudes toward sex."<ref>{{cite news |first=Mitch |last=Carr |title=Guilford County moms want reading list criteria changed |url=http://www.journalnow.com/news/state_region/guilford-county-moms-want-reading-list-criteria-changed/article_572e4054-24dd-11e2-8a23-0019bb30f31a.html |newspaper=[[Winston-Salem Journal]] |date=2 November 2012 |access-date=18 April 2017 |archive-date=19 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419101149/http://www.journalnow.com/news/state_region/guilford-county-moms-want-reading-list-criteria-changed/article_572e4054-24dd-11e2-8a23-0019bb30f31a.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
*In November 2021 in [[Goddard, Kansas]], "The Goddard school district has removed more than two dozen books from circulation in the district's school libraries, citing national attention and challenges to the books elsewhere."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-11-09|title=Goddard school district orders 29 books removed from circulation|url=https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-11-09/goddard-school-district-orders-29-books-removed-from-circulation|access-date=2021-11-12|website=KMUW|language=en|archive-date=12 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211112022924/https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-11-09/goddard-school-district-orders-29-books-removed-from-circulation|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2022, Atwood announced that, in a joint project undertaken with [[Penguin Random House]], an "unburnable" copy of the book would be produced and auctioned off, the project intended to "stand as a powerful symbol against [[censorship]]".<ref name=stand>{{cite news |last=Pengelly |first=Martin |date=24 May 2022 |title=Atwood responds to book bans with 'unburnable' edition of ''Handmaid's Tale''|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/may/24/margaret-atwood-handmaids-tale-unburnable-edition |location=New York |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=8 June 2022 |archive-date=8 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608041321/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/may/24/margaret-atwood-handmaids-tale-unburnable-edition |url-status=live }}</ref> On 7 June 2022, the unique, "unburnable" copy was sold through [[Sotheby's]] in New York for $130,000.<ref name=sold>{{cite news|last=Hills|first=Megan C.|date=7 June 2022|title=An 'unburnable' copy of ''The Handmaid's Tale'' sells for $130,000 at auction|url=https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/the-handmaids-tale-unburnable-book-sothebys/index.html|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=8 June 2022|archive-date=8 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608031851/https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/the-handmaids-tale-unburnable-book-sothebys/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The book has been banned in school libraries in Florida, Missouri, Oregon,<ref name="Atlantic_Go_Ahead">{{cite web | url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/02/margaret-atwood-handmaids-tale-virginia-book-ban-library-removal/673013/ | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829224735/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/02/margaret-atwood-handmaids-tale-virginia-book-ban-library-removal/673013/ | archive-date=2025-08-29 | title=Go Ahead and Ban My Book | website=[[The Atlantic]] | date=12 February 2023 }}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="thegeorgeanne.com">{{cite web | url=https://thegeorgeanne.com/38492/featured/opinion-banned-book-week-the-handmaids-tale/ | title=Banned Book Week: The Handmaid's Tale | date=23 September 2022 }}</ref> Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas,<ref name="Atlantic_Go_Ahead" /><ref name="thegeorgeanne.com"/> Utah, Virginia,<ref name="Atlantic_Go_Ahead" /> Wisconsin, and Wyoming.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://pen.org/book-bans/2023-banned-book-list/ | title=PEN America Index of School Book Bans – 2022-2023 }}</ref>

==== Censorship in Canada ====

In 2009, a parent in Toronto accused the book of being anti-Christian and anti-Islamic because the women are veiled and polygamy is allowed.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rushowy |first1=Kristin |title=Atwood Novel Too Brutal, Sexist For School: Parent |url=https://www.thestar.com/life/parent/2009/01/16/atwood_novel_too_brutal_sexist_for_school_parent.html |newspaper=[[Toronto Star]] |date=16 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421005619/http://www.thestar.com/life/parent/2009/01/16/atwood_novel_too_brutal_sexist_for_school_parent.html |archive-date=21 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Rushowy reports that "The [[Canadian Library Association]] says there is 'no known instance of a challenge to this novel in Canada', but says the book was called anti-Christian and pornographic by parents after being placed on a reading list for secondary students in Texas in the 1990s."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rushowy |first=Kristin |date=2009-01-14 |title=Complaint spurs school board to review novel by Atwood |url=https://www.thestar.com/life/complaint-spurs-school-board-to-review-novel-by-atwood/article_a36997ad-0a6a-51d7-bb1c-0753f120d93a.html |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=[[Toronto Star]] |language=en |issn=0319-0781}}
</ref>

In 2025, the book was one of over 200 slated for removal from [[Edmonton Public Schools]] in response to the Alberta government's request to remove works that contained sexually explicit material.<ref name="d453">{{cite web | last=Williams | first=Emily | title=The Handmaid's Tale among more than 200 books to be pulled at Edmonton public schools | website=CBC | date=2025-08-29 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-school-books-removal-1.7620807 | access-date=2025-09-17}}</ref> Atwood wrote a satirical short story on social media in response.<ref>{{cite web |title=Canadian author Margaret Atwood takes another shot at Alberta’s book ban with satirical story |url=https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/2189528/canadian-author-margaret-atwood-takes-another-shot-at-albertas-book-ban-with-satirical-story |website=Radio-Canada International |access-date=2 September 2025 |language=fr-ca |date=1 September 2025}}</ref> After public backlash, Alberta premier [[Danielle Smith]] announced that the ministerial order would be rewritten.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bellefontaine |first1=Michelle |last2=Howlett |first2=Trevor |title=Alberta premier says new order banning school library books with sexual content coming soon |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-premier-says-new-order-banning-school-library-books-with-sexual-content-coming-soon-1.7623252 |website=CBC |access-date=2 September 2025}}</ref>

==== In higher education ====
In institutions of higher education, professors have found ''The Handmaid's Tale'' to be useful, largely because of its historical and religious basis and Atwood's captivating delivery. The novel's teaching points include: introducing politics and the social sciences to students in a more concrete way;<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Burack|first=Cynthia|date=Winter 1988–89|title=Bringing Women's Studies to Political Science: ''The Handmaid'' in the Classroom |journal=[[NWSA Journal]]|volume=1 |number=2 |pages=274–283 |jstor=4315901}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Laz |first=Cheryl |date=January 1996 |title=Science Fiction and Introductory Sociology: The ''Handmaid'' in the Classroom |jstor=1318898 |journal=[[Teaching Sociology]]|volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=54–63 |doi=10.2307/1318898 }}</ref> demonstrating the importance of reading to our freedom, both intellectual and political;<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bergmann|first=Harriet|date=December 1989|title='Teaching Them to Read': A Fishing Expedition in ''The Handmaid's Tale''|jstor=378090|journal=[[College English]]|volume=51|issue=8|pages=847–854|doi=10.2307/378090}}</ref> and acknowledging the "most insidious and violent manifestations of power in Western history" in a compelling manner.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Larson|first=Janet L.|date=Spring 1989|title=Margaret Atwood and the Future of Prophecy|journal=Religion & Literature|volume=21|number=1|pages=27–61|jstor=40059401}}</ref>

The chapter entitled "Historical Notes" at the end of the novel also represents a warning to academics who run the risk of misreading and misunderstanding historical texts, pointing to the satirized Professor Pieixoto as an example of a male scholar who has taken over and overpowered Offred's narrative with his own interpretation.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Stein|first=Karen F.|date=Spring 1996|title=Margaret Atwood's Modest Proposal: ''The Handmaid's Tale''|url=https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=eng_facpubs|journal=[[Canadian Literature (journal)|Canadian Literature]]|volume=148|pages=57–72|via=Digital Commons, [[University of Rhode Island]]|access-date=27 March 2016|archive-date=15 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415233349/http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=eng_facpubs|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Academic reception===

====Feminist analysis====
Much of the discussion about ''The Handmaid's Tale'' has centred on its categorization as feminist literature. Atwood does not see the Republic of Gilead as a purely [[Feminism|feminist]] dystopia, as not all men have greater rights than women.<ref name=":32"/> Instead, this society presents a typical dictatorship: "shaped like a pyramid, with the powerful of both sexes at the apex, the men generally outranking the women at the same level; then descending levels of power and status with men and women in each, all the way down to the bottom, where the unmarried men must serve in the ranks before being awarded an Econowife".<ref name=":32" />

Econowives are women expected to carry out child-bearing, domestic duties, and traditional companionship; they are married to men that don't belong to the elite. When asked about whether her book was feminist, Atwood stated that the presence of women and what happens to them are important to the structure and theme of the book. This aisle of feminism, by default, would make a lot of books feminist.&nbsp;However, she is adamant in her stance that her book did not represent the brand of feminism that victimizes or strips women of moral choice.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal|last=Berry|first=Gregory R.|date=June 2010|title=Book Review: Margaret Atwood ''The Year of the Flood'' New York, NY: Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2009|journal=[[Organization & Environment]]|volume=23|issue=2|pages=248–250|doi=10.1177/1086026610368388|s2cid=143937316|issn=1086-0266}}</ref>

Atwood has argued that while some of the observations that informed the content of ''The Handmaid's Tale'' may be feminist, her novel is not meant to say "one thing to one person" or serve as a political message—instead, ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is "a study of power, and how it operates and how it deforms or shapes the people who are living within that kind of regime".<ref name=":22"/><ref name=":42"/>

Some scholars have offered a feminist interpretation, connecting Atwood's use of religious fundamentalism in the pages of ''The Handmaid's Tale'' to a condemnation of its presence in current American society.<ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Hines|first=Molly|date=2006|title=Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale": Fundamentalist religiosity and the oppression of women |type=MA thesis |publisher=[[Angelo State University]]|id={{ProQuest|304914133}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Mercer|first=Naomi|date=2013|title="Subversive Feminist Thrusts": Feminist Dystopian Writing and Religious Fundamentalism in Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale", Louise Marley's "The Terrorists of Irustan", Marge Piercy's "He, She and It", and Sheri S. Tepper's "Raising the Stones" |type=PhD dissertation |publisher=University of Wisconsin–Madison|id={{ProQuest|1428851608}}}}</ref> Atwood goes on to describe her book as not a critique of religion, but a critique of the ''use'' of religion as a "front for tyranny".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Millard|first=Scott|date=2007-06-19|title=Literature Resource Center|journal=[[Reference Reviews]]|volume=21|issue=5|pages=35–36|doi=10.1108/09504120710755572|issn=0950-4125}}</ref> Others have argued that ''The Handmaid's Tale'' critiques typical notions of feminism, as Atwood's novel appears to subvert the traditional "women helping women" ideals of the movement and turns toward the possibility of "the [[Matriarchy|matriarchal]] network ... and a new form of misogyny: women's hatred of women".<ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Callaway|first=Alanna A.|date=May 2008|title=Women disunited: Margaret Atwood's ''The Handmaid's Tale'' as a critique of feminism|type=Master of Arts thesis|url=https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4501&context=etd_theses|publisher=[[San Jose State University]]|access-date=10 August 2023|archive-date=10 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410220128/http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4501&context=etd_theses|url-status=live}}</ref>

Scholars have analyzed and made connections to patriarchal oppression in ''The Handmaid's Tale'' and oppression of women today. Aisha Matthews tackles the effects of institutional structures that oppress woman and womanhood and connects those to the themes present in ''The Handmaid's Tale''. She first asserts that structures and social frameworks, such as the patriarchy and societal role of traditional Christian values, are inherently detrimental to the liberation of womanhood. She then makes the connection to the relationship between Offred, Serena Joy, and the Commander, explaining that through this "perversion of traditional marriage, the Biblical story of Rachel, Jacob, and Bilhah is taken too literally". Their relationship and other similar relationships in ''The Handmaid's Tale'' mirror the effects of patriarchal standards of womanliness.<ref name=":43">{{Cite journal|last=Matthews|first=Aisha|date=2018-08-18|title=Gender, Ontology, and the Power of the Patriarchy: A Postmodern Feminist Analysis of Octavia Butler's Wild Seed and Margaret Atwood's ''The Handmaid's Tale''|journal=Women's Studies|volume=47|issue=6|pages=637–656|doi=10.1080/00497878.2018.1492403|s2cid=150270608|issn=0049-7878}}</ref>

;Sex and occupation
In the world of ''The Handmaid's Tale'', the sexes are strictly divided. Gilead's society values white women's reproductive commodities over those of other ethnicities. Women are categorized "hierarchically according to class status and reproductive capacity" as well as "[[metonymic]]ally colour-coded according to their function and their labour".{{sfn|Kauffman|1989|p=232}} The Commander expresses his personal opinion that women are considered inferior to men, as the men are in a position where they have power to control society.

Women are segregated by clothing, as are men. With rare exceptions, men wear military or paramilitary uniforms. All classes of men and women are defined by the colours they wear, drawing on colour symbolism and psychology. All lower-status individuals are regulated by this dress code. All "non-persons" are banished to the "Colonies". Sterile, unmarried women are considered to be non-persons. Both men and women sent there wear grey dresses.

The women, particularly the Handmaids, are stripped of their individual identities as they lack formal names, taking on their assigned Commander's first name in most cases.

;Unwomen
Sterile women, the unmarried, some widows, feminists, lesbians, nuns, and politically dissident women: all women who are incapable of [[social integration]] within the Republic's strict gender divisions. Gilead exiles Unwomen to "the Colonies", areas both of agricultural production and deadly pollution. Joining them are Handmaids who fail to bear a child after three two-year assignments.

;Jezebels
Jezebels are women who are forced to become prostitutes and entertainers. They are available only to the Commanders and to their guests. Offred portrays Jezebels as attractive and educated; they may be unsuitable as Handmaids due to temperament. They have been sterilized, a surgery that is forbidden to other women. They operate in unofficial but state-sanctioned brothels, unknown to most women.

Jezebels, whose title comes from [[Jezebel]] in the Bible, dress in the remnants of sexualized costumes from "the time before", such as cheerleaders' costumes, school uniforms, and [[Playboy Bunny]] costumes. Jezebels can wear make-up, drink alcohol and socialize with men, but are tightly controlled by the Aunts. When they pass their sexual prime or their looks fade, they are discarded without any precision as to whether they are killed or sent to the Colonies.

====Philosophical analysis====
Many elements of Gilead recall details from Plato's ''[[Republic (Plato)|Republic]]''. Gilead's social hierarchy of commanders, guardians, Marthas and handmaids, for example, has similarities to Plato's social hierarchy of philosopher-guardians, auxiliary-guardians and producers. Both societies are also home to a state-based eugenics program, and see gymnasiums used as educational spaces in which women are socialized into new gender roles. The powers that be in Gilead legitimize their rule through the extensive use of propaganda, much as Plato's rulers ensure co-operation on the part of the public by propagating a [[noble lie]].

According to philosopher Andy Lamey, rather than straightforward allusions, the similarities to Plato are combined with features that differ, at times dramatically, from Plato's original. As Lamey writes, "the result is that Atwood's dystopia deliberately calls to mind a distorted version of Platonism, one that differs in ways large and small from the original."<ref name="The Philpapers Foundation">{{cite web |last1=Lamey |first1=Andy |title=Platonic Corruption in the Handmaid's Tale |url=https://philpapers.org/rec/LAMPCI |website=PhilPapers |publisher=The Philpapers Foundation |access-date=23 November 2023}}</ref> In the case of gymnasiums, for example, in Plato they see women socialized into roles that make them the equal of men, while in Gilead they are where handmaids are first taught their duties.

Vernon Provençal has suggested that the novel is a satire of Platonism.<ref name="The Philpapers Foundation"/> Lamey, however, argues that this interpretation cannot explain why the book contains distorted references to philosophies beyond Platonism. Two such references are evident in mottos that handmaids are forced to repeat during their training. "Pen is envy" is a corrupt rendering of Freud's notion of penis envy, while "From each according to her ability; to each according to his needs" is a garbled version of Marx's slogan "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." Lamey argues that such allusions, rather than satirizing the philosophies in question, see Gilead employ a practice frequently used by actual dictatorships, that of seeking to bolster their prestige and legitimacy by twisting ideas already in circulation to suit their own ends.

====Race analysis====
[[African Americans]], the main non-White ethnic group in this society, are called the [[Hamitic|Children of Ham]]. A state TV broadcast mentions they have been relocated "en masse" to "National Homelands" in North Dakota, which are suggestive of the apartheid-era homelands ([[Bantustan]]s) set up by South Africa or forced death marches. Ana Cottle characterized ''The Handmaid's Tale'' as "[[White feminism]]", noting that Atwood does away with Black people in a few lines by relocating the "Children of Ham" while borrowing heavily from the African-American experience and applying it to White women, specifically Gilead's explicit anti-literacy laws, which was borrowed from real life [[Anti-literacy laws in the United States|anti-literacy campaigns]] in the United States, alongside the removal of surnames among handmaids, an ode to how enslaved Africans were not given last names until Emancipation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/the-establishment/the-handmaids-tale-a-white-feminist-s-dystopia-80da75a40dc5|title=''The Handmaid's Tale'': A White Feminist Dystopia|date=17 May 2017|website=theestablishment.co|access-date=18 August 2019|archive-date=18 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818052859/https://medium.com/the-establishment/the-handmaids-tale-a-white-feminist-s-dystopia-80da75a40dc5|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vulture.com/2017/06/the-handmaids-tale-greatest-failing-is-how-it-handles-race.html |title=''The Handmaid's Tale''{{'}}s Greatest Failing Is How It Handles Race |last=Bastién |first=Angelica Jade |author-link=Angelica Jade Bastién |date=June 2017 |website=Vulture |access-date=25 October 2017 |archive-date=25 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025131800/http://www.vulture.com/2017/06/the-handmaids-tale-greatest-failing-is-how-it-handles-race.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

It is implied that a total genocide has been committed against [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] living in territories under the rule of Gilead. [[Jews]] were given a choice between converting to the state religion or being "repatriated" to [[Israel]]. Converts who were subsequently discovered with any symbolic representations or artifacts of [[Judaism]] were executed. Further, the repatriation scheme was privatized, with the result that many Jews died en route to Israel.

==Awards==

* 1985 – [[Governor General's Award for English-language fiction]] (winner)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Past Winners and Finalists.|url=https://ggbooks.ca/past-winners-and-finalists|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421134720/https://ggbooks.ca/past-winners-and-finalists|archive-date=April 21, 2021|access-date=April 22, 2021|website=GGBooks}}</ref>
* 1986 – [[Booker Prize]] (nominated)<ref>{{Cite web|title=1986|url=https://thebookerprizes.com/galleries/1986|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210103013636/https://thebookerprizes.com/galleries/1986|archive-date=January 3, 2021|access-date=April 22, 2021|website=[[Booker Prize]]}}</ref>
* 1986 – [[Nebula Award]] (nominated)<ref>{{Cite web|title=1986|url=https://nebulas.sfwa.org/award-year/1986/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128090950/https://nebulas.sfwa.org/award-year/1986/|archive-date=January 28, 2021|access-date=April 22, 2021|website=[[Nebula Award]]}}</ref>
* 1986 – [[Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction|''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prize for Fiction]] (winner)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-25 |title=1986 ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prize – Fiction Winner and Nominees |url=https://www.awardsarchive.com/1986-los-angeles-times-book-prize-fiction-winner-and-nominees/ |website=Awards Archive|access-date=12 May 2022 |archive-date=10 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310031135/https://www.awardsarchive.com/1986-los-angeles-times-book-prize-fiction-winner-and-nominees/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 1987 – [[Arthur C. Clarke Award]] (winner)<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Arthur C. Clarke Award|url=https://clarkeaward.com/#about|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415045943/https://clarkeaward.com/#about|archive-date=April 15, 2021|access-date=April 22, 2021}}</ref>{{Efn | ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is the inaugural winner of this award for the best science fiction novel published in the United Kingdom during the previous year.}}
* 1987 – [[Prometheus Award]] (nominated)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Libertarian Futurist Society|url=http://lfs.org/novel_nominees.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308054238/http://lfs.org/novel_nominees.shtml|archive-date=March 8, 2021|access-date=April 22, 2021|website=[[Libertarian Futurist Society]]}}</ref>{{Efn | The [[Prometheus Award]] is an award for [[libertarian science fiction]] novels given out annually by the Libertarian Futurist Society, which also publishes a quarterly journal, ''Prometheus''.}}
* 1987 – [[Commonwealth Foundation prizes#Commonwealth Writers' Prize: Best Book (1987–2011)|Commonwealth Writers' Prize: Best Book]] (winner of the Canada and the Caribbean region)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Regional Winners 1987-2007.xls|url=http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com/uploads/documents/Regional%20Winners%201987-20071.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023223729/http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com/uploads/documents/Regional%20Winners%201987-20071.pdf|archive-date=October 23, 2007|access-date=April 22, 2021|website=[[Commonwealth Foundation]]}}</ref>

==In other media==

===Audio===
* An audiobook of the unabridged text, read by [[Claire Danes]] ({{ISBN|9781491519110}}), won the 2013 [[Audie Award]] for fiction.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://joeaudio.com/index.html | title = 2013 Audie Awards® Finalists by category | last = Gummere | first = Joe | website = joeaudio.com | access-date = 2017-01-09 | archive-date = 10 July 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170710174836/http://joeaudio.com/index.html | url-status = dead }}</ref>
* In 2014, Canadian band Lakes of Canada released their album ''Transgressions'', which is intended to be a concept album inspired by ''The Handmaid's Tale''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Artists: Lakes of Canada |url=http://artists.cbcmusic.ca/artist/38445 |work=[[CBC Music]] |access-date=18 April 2017 |archive-date=19 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419102434/http://artists.cbcmusic.ca/artist/38445 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* On his album ''Shady Lights'' from 2017, [[Snax]] references the novel and film adaption, specifically the character of [[#Serena Joy|Serena Joy]], in the song "Make Me Disappear". The first verse reads, "You can call me Serena Joy. Drink in hand, in front of the TV, I'm teary-eyed, adjusting my CC."
*A full cast audiobook entitled ''The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition'' was released in 2017, read by [[Claire Danes]], [[Margaret Atwood]], Tim Gerard Reynolds, and others.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Handmaids-Tale-Special-Edition-Audiobook/B06XFW9YZ5|title=The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition|language=en|access-date=14 October 2021|archive-date=28 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028012451/https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Handmaids-Tale-Special-Edition-Audiobook/B06XFW9YZ5|url-status=live}}</ref>
*An [[audiobook]] of the unabridged text, read by Betty Harris, was released in 2019 by [[Recorded Books]], Inc.<ref>{{Cite web|title=''The Handmaid's Tale''|url=https://www.overdrive.com/media/5553661/the-handmaids-tale|access-date=2021-10-14|website=OverDrive|archive-date=29 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029173418/https://www.overdrive.com/media/5553661/the-handmaids-tale|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Film===
{{main|The Handmaid's Tale (film)}}

* The 1990 film ''The Handmaid's Tale'' was based on a screenplay by [[Harold Pinter]] and directed by [[Volker Schlöndorff]]. It stars [[Natasha Richardson]] as Offred, [[Faye Dunaway]] as Serena Joy, and [[Robert Duvall]] as the Commander (Fred).

===Radio===
* A dramatic adaptation of the novel for radio was produced for [[BBC Radio 4]] by John Dryden in 2000.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/jan/15/books.guardianreview5 | title=The squeaks and drips of everyday life | first=Ann | last=Karpf |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]| date=15 January 2000 | access-date=9 January 2021 | archive-date=11 January 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111223324/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/jan/15/books.guardianreview5 | url-status=live }}</ref>
* In 2002, [[CBC Radio]] commissioned Michael O'Brien to adapt Margaret Atwood's ''The Handmaid's Tale'' for radio.

===Theatre===
* A stage adaptation written and directed by Bruce <!-- not [[Bruce Shapiro]]-->Shapiro played at [[Tufts University]] in 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dramadance.tufts.edu/performances/pastProductions.htm|title=Tufts University: Department of Drama and Dance: Performances & Events|website=dramadance.tufts.edu|access-date=2017-05-08|archive-date=31 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331182441/http://dramadance.tufts.edu/performances/pastProductions.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
* An operatic adaptation, ''[[The Handmaid's Tale (opera)|The Handmaid's Tale]]'', by [[Poul Ruders]], premiered in [[Copenhagen]] on 6 March 2000, and was performed by the [[English National Opera]], in London, in 2003.<ref>{{Cite news | date = 5 April 2003 | place = UK | title = Classical music & opera | url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/apr/05/classicalmusicandopera.artsfeatures2 | newspaper = [[The Guardian]] | first = Andrew | last = Clements | access-date = 13 December 2016 | archive-date = 11 August 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160811115628/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/apr/05/classicalmusicandopera.artsfeatures2 | url-status = live }}</ref> It was the opening production of the 2004–2005 season of the [[Canadian Opera Company]].<ref>{{Citation | last = Littler | first = William | title = Opera Canada | date = 15 December 2004| title-link = Opera Canada }}.<!-- inadequate reference --></ref> [[Boston Lyric Opera]] mounted a production in May 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/10/arts/music/handmaids-tale-boston-lyric-opera-review.html|title=Review: ''The Handmaid's Tale'' Is a Brutal Triumph as Opera|last=Allen|first=David|date=2019-05-10|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2019-05-11|archive-date=11 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511142527/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/10/arts/music/handmaids-tale-boston-lyric-opera-review.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* A stage adaptation of the novel, by Brendon Burns, for the [[Haymarket Theatre]], [[Basingstoke]], England, toured the UK in 2002.<ref>{{cite web | title =''The Handmaid's Tale''| url = http://www.uktw.co.uk/archive/play/the-handmaids-tale/L0405535074/ | publisher = UKTW | access-date = 10 June 2012 | archive-date = 2 November 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131102101955/http://www.uktw.co.uk/archive/play/the-handmaids-tale/L0405535074/ | url-status = live }}</ref>
* A [[ballet]] adaptation choreographed by [[Lila York]] and produced by the [[Royal Winnipeg Ballet]] premiered on 16 October 2013. [[Amanda Green (dancer)|Amanda Green]] appeared as Offred and [[Alexander Gamayunov]] as the Commander.<ref>{{cite news | place = Canada| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/the-handmaid-s-tale-debuts-as-ballet-in-winnipeg-1.2055207 | title =''The Handmaid's Tale'' debuts as ballet in Winnipeg | publisher = [[CBC News]] | date = 15 October 2013 | access-date = 16 October 2013 | archive-date = 17 October 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131017070212/http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/the-handmaid-s-tale-debuts-as-ballet-in-winnipeg-1.2055207 | url-status = live }}</ref>
* A one-woman stage show, adapted from the novel, by Joseph Stollenwerk premiered in the U.S. in January 2015.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lyman |first=David |date=24 January 2015 |url=http://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/theater/2015/01/24/handmaid-tale-know-theater-review/22271029/ |title=''Handmaid's Tale'' offers extreme view of future |newspaper=Cincinnati.com |access-date=16 October 2015 |archive-date=10 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610020716/https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/theater/2015/01/24/handmaid-tale-know-theater-review/22271029/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Television===
{{main|The Handmaid's Tale (TV series)}}

* [[MGM Television]] has produced a [[The Handmaid's Tale (TV series)|television series]] based on the novel for [[Hulu]], starring [[Elisabeth Moss]] as Offred. The first three episodes were released on 26 April 2017, with subsequent episodes following on a weekly basis. Margaret Atwood served as consulting producer.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hardawar|first1=Devindra|title=Hulu is adapting Margaret Atwood's ''The Handmaid's Tale''|url=https://www.engadget.com/2016/04/29/hulu-is-adapting-margaret-atwoods-the-handmaids-tale/|access-date=30 April 2016|work=[[Engadget]]|date=29 April 2016|archive-date=1 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501100729/http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/29/hulu-is-adapting-margaret-atwoods-the-handmaids-tale/|url-status=live}}</ref> The series won eight [[Primetime Emmy Award]]s in 2017, including [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series|Outstanding Drama Series]] and [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series]] (Moss).<ref>{{cite news|last1=Otterson|first1=Joe|title='Hulu Carried to Emmys Glory by Eight Wins for 'Handmaid's Tale'|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/emmys-2017-hulu-handmaids-tale-1202557512/|access-date=1 April 2018|work=Variety|date=17 September 2017|archive-date=3 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003004312/http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/emmys-2017-hulu-handmaids-tale-1202557512/|url-status=live}}</ref> The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on 25 April 2018, and in May 2018, Hulu announced renewal for a third season. The third season premiered on 5 June 2019. Hulu announced season 4, consisting of 10 episodes, with production set to start in March 2020. This was delayed due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/the-handmaids-tale-renewed-hulu-season-3-1202794440/ |title=''The Handmaid's Tale'' Renewed for Season 3 at Hulu |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Daniel |last=Holloway |date=2 May 2018 |access-date=2 May 2018 |archive-date=27 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327235050/https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/the-handmaids-tale-renewed-hulu-season-3-1202794440/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Season 4 premiered on 28 April 2021; season 5, on September 14, 2022. Season 6 was to premiere at the end of 2023, but production was delayed due to the [[2023 SAG-AFTRA strike]] and eventually premiered on April 28, 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Campione |first=Katie |date=2024-09-06 |title=‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 6 Officially Starts Production, Hulu Sets Spring Premiere |url=https://deadline.com/2024/09/the-handmaids-tale-season-6-starts-production-spring-premiere-1236080539/ |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Comics===

* On March 26, 2019, ''The Handmaid's Tale'' was adapted into an authorized graphic novel illustrated by Canadian artist Renée Nault, and published by [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Atwood |first=Margaret |date=March 26, 2019 |title=''The Handmaid's Tale: The Graphic Novel'' |publisher=Doubleday |url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/600455/the-handmaids-tale-graphic-novel-by-margaret-atwood/}}</ref>

==Sequel==
{{main|The Testaments}}

In November 2018, Atwood announced the sequel, titled ''[[The Testaments]]'', which was published in September 2019.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/atwood-handmaids-sequel-1.4923605 "Margaret Atwood announces sequel to ''The Handmaid's Tale''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190912192354/https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/atwood-handmaids-sequel-1.4923605 |date=12 September 2019 }}. [[CBC News]], 28 November 2018.</ref> The novel is set fifteen years after Offred's final scene, with the testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.<ref name="vox">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/9/4/20849122/testaments-review-margaret-atwood-handmaids-tale-sequel|title=Margaret Atwood's ''Handmaid's Tale'' sequel is a giddy thrill ride|last=Grady|first=Constance|date=2019-09-04|website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]|language=en|access-date=2019-09-04|archive-date=14 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190914124830/https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/9/4/20849122/testaments-review-margaret-atwood-handmaids-tale-sequel|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal |Canada|1980s|Novels}}
* [[Canadian literature]]
* [[Feminist science fiction]]
* ''[[Illegitimi non carborundum|Nolite te bastardes carborundorum]]'', a [[dog Latin]] cheer
* [[Reproduction and pregnancy in speculative fiction]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
{{div col|colwidth=45em}}
* {{Cite news |last=Atwood |first=Margaret |author-link=Margaret Atwood |date=2005-06-17 |title='Aliens have taken the place of angels' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/jun/17/sciencefictionfantasyandhorror.margaretatwood |access-date=2024-06-11 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |eissn=1756-3224}}
* {{cite book |last=Atwood |first=Margaret |date=1985 |title=The Handmaid's Tale |location=Toronto |publisher=McClelland & Stewart |isbn=0-7710-0813-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/handmaidstale00marg}} {{cite book |last=Atwood |first=Margaret |date=1986 |title=The Handmaid's Tale |location=New York |publisher=Anchor Books}} {{cite book |last=Atwood |first=Margaret |date=1998 |title=The Handmaid's Tale |location=New York |publisher=Anchor Books (div. of Random House) |isbn=978-0-385-49081-8}} Parenthetical page references are to the 1998 ed. Digitized 2 June 2008 by Google Books (311 pp.) (2005), ''La Servante écarlate'' [''The Handmaid's Tale''] (in French), Rué, Sylviane transl, Paris: J'ai Lu, {{ISBN|978-2-290-34710-2}}.
*{{cite book |last=Hammill |first=Faye |chapter=Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale |pages=522–533 |title=A Companion to Science Fiction |editor=William Seed |date=2008 |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |location=Toronto |isbn=9780470797013}}
* {{cite book |last=Kauffman |first=Linda |year=1989 |chapter=6. Special Delivery: Twenty-First Century Epistolarity in ''The Handmaid's Tale'' |editor-last=Goldsmith |editor-first=Elizabeth |title=Writing the Female Voice: Essays on Epistolary Literature |location=Boston |publisher=Northeastern University Press |pages=221–244|url=https://www1.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/ssimon1/erfurt/pdf/KauffmanHandmaid.pdf}}
*{{cite book |last=Lamey |first=Andy |chapter=Platonic Corruption in ''The Handmaid's Tale'' |pages=1–29 |title=Fictional Worlds and the Political Imagination |editor=Garry Hagberg |date=2024 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=London}}
* {{cite journal |last=Miner |first=Madonne |date=Summer 1991 |title='Trust Me': Reading the Romance Plot in Margaret Atwood's ''The Handmaid's Tale'' |journal=Twentieth Century Literature |volume=37 |number=2 |pages=148–168 |doi=10.2307/441844 |jstor=441844}}
{{div col end}}

==Further reading==
{{div col|colwidth=45em}}
* {{Cite book |last=Adami |first=Valentina |year=2011 |title=Bioethics Through Literature: Margaret Atwood's Cautionary Tales |place=Trier |publisher=WVT |ref=none}}
* Andriano, Joseph. "''The Handmaid's Tale'' as Scrabble Game". ''Critical Insights: The Handmaid's Tale'', edited by J. Brooks Bouson, Salem, 2009. Salem Online.
* {{Cite book |editor-last=Bloom |editor-first=Harold |year=2001 |title=The Handmaid's Tale |first=Margaret |last=Atwood |place=Philadelphia |publisher=Chelsea House |ref=none}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Cooper |first=Pamela |year=1997 |title='A Body Story with a Vengeance': Anatomy and Struggle in ''The Bell Jar'' and ''The Handmaid's Tale'' |journal=Women's Studies |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=89–123 |doi=10.1080/00497878.1997.9979152 |ref=none}}
* Curwood, Steve (13 June 2014). "Margaret Atwood on Fiction, The Future, and Environmental Crisis". ''Living on Earth''. n.p.
* {{Cite journal |last=Dopp |first=Jamie |year=1994 |title=Subject-Position as Victim-Position in ''The Handmaid's Tale'' |journal=Studies in Canadian Literature |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=43–57 |ref=none}}
* Elliott, John. [https://www.proquest.com/docview/240809423 "A Watershed Moment for Atwood"], ''[[Ottawa Citizen]]'', 5 December 2004, p. A3. ProQuest, .
* Evans, M. (1994). "Versions of History: ''The Handmaid's Tale'' and its Dedicatees". In C. Nicholson (ed.), ''Margaret Atwood: Writing and Subjectivity'' (pp.&nbsp;177–188). London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan UK.
* {{Cite journal |last=Gardner |first=Laurel J. |year=1994 |title=Pornography as a Matter of Power in ''The Handmaid's Tale'' |journal=Notes on Contemporary Literature |volume=24 |issue=5 |pages=5–7 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Garretts-Petts |first=W. F. |year=1988 |title=Reading, Writing and the Postmodern Condition: Interpreting Margaret Atwood's ''The Handmaid's Tale'' |journal=Open Letter |series=Seventh |volume=I |ref=none}}
* {{Cite news |last=Geddes |first=Dan |url=http://www.thesatirist.com/books/HANDMAID.html |title=Negative Utopia as Polemic: ''The Handmaid's Tale'' |newspaper=The Satirist |date=January 2001 |ref=none}}
* Gruss, S. (2004). "People confuse personal relations with legal structures". An Interview with Margaret Atwood. In ''Gender Forum''. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
* {{Cite journal |last=Hammer |first=Stephanie Barbé |title=The World as It Will Be? Female Satire and the Technology of Power in ''The Handmaid's Tale'' |journal=Modern Language Studies |volume=XX |issue=2 |year=1990 |pages=39–49 |doi=10.2307/3194826 |jstor=3194826 |ref=none}}
* Lewis, Lapham H. (September 2004). "Tentacles of rage: The Republican propaganda mill, a brief history". ''[[Harper's Magazine]]''.
* {{Cite journal |last=Malak |first=Amin |title=Margaret Atwood's ''The Handmaid's Tale'' and the Dystopian Tradition |journal=Canadian Literature |volume=112 |year=1987 |pages=9–16 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite news |last=McCarthy |first=Mary |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DEEDC143DF93AA35751C0A960948260 |title=Breeders, Wives, and Unwomen |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=9 February 1986 |access-date=11 April 2016 |type=review |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Mohr |first=Dunja M. |year=2005 |title=Worlds Apart: Dualism and Transgression in Contemporary Female Dystopias |place=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland 2005 |ref=none}} Long chapter on ''The Handmaid's Tale'' as utopia and dystopia.
* Morris, M. (1990). "Margaret Atwood, The Art of Fiction No. 121". ''[[The Paris Review]]''.
* {{Cite book |last=Myrsiades |first=Linda |contribution=Law, Medicine, and the Sex Slave in Margaret Atwood's ''The Handmaid's Tale'' |title=Un-Disciplining Literature: Literature, Law, and Culture |editor1-last=Myrsiades |editor1-first=Kostas |editor2-first=Linda |editor2-last=Myrsiades |place=New York |publisher=Peter Lang |year=1999 |pages=219–245 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Stanners |first1=Barbara |first2=Michael |last2=Stanners |first3=Margaret |last3=Atwood |title=Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale |series=Top Notes Literature Guides |place=Seven Hills, NSW, Australia |publisher=Five Senses Education |year=2004 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Tennant |first=Colette |title=Religion in The Handmaid's Tale: A Brief Guide |publisher=Fortress Press |location=Minneapolis, Minnesota |year=2019 |isbn=9781506456317 |ref=none}}
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==External links==
* {{Cite AV media | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/133_wbc_archive_new/page2.shtml | title = The Handmaid's Tale | first = Margaret | last = Atwood | series = [[World Book Club]] | publisher = [[BBC World Service]] | format = [[Audio file format]] |date=April 2003|ref=none}}
* ''[http://www.rwb.org/thehandmaidstale The Handmaid's Tale]'' ballet at the [[Royal Winnipeg Ballet]]

{{Margaret Atwood}}
{{The Handmaid's Tale}}
{{Governor General's English fiction}}
{{Arthur C. Clarke Award}}
{{Feminist science fiction}}
{{Authority control}}
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