Top ten features

This is a novel about the exploitation of women
Women are exploited in many ways throughout the book. In Offred's case, she's a Handmaid, therefore meaning she's exploited for sex. However, she's not used for sex for pleasure, she's only used to become pregnant and carry children for The Commander. Chapter 16 is a strong, shocking example of this. This chapter revolves around the monthly rape Offred must suffer in an attempt to become pregnant. Offred says "It has nothing to do with passion or love or romance or any of those other notions", this shows how negatively she feels about what is called "The Ceremony", and the fact that she doesn't want to consent to such an occasion.


This is a novel about loss, e.g of freedom, mothers, children
Offred is a prime example of the extent of loss in the novel. She's lost her freedom, her husband and her daughter. At the beginning of chapter 18, Offred says "I want to be with someone" before going on to talk about times she spent with Luke, times she misses and wants back. She speaks as if she's still there, the way she often does when recalling fond memories. The collective term 'we' shows how at one she felt with Luke and as the readers, we feel sympathy for her and all she has lost. When describing her bedroom she says "There has to be some space, finally, that I can claim as mine, even in this time", this shows how little she has and how precious her bedroom is to her now as she feels it's her only possession, the only place she feels safe and peaceful. This shows the lack of freedom she has, the fact that she only feels peaceful when  alone, at night.

This is a novel of alienation and unbelonging