The Handmaid's Tale characters
The Commander lives in the house where Offred is his housemaid. He is a voracious reader, and he adores collecting books. As to the features of character, he is reasonable, sensible, and naive. He has a weird desire to play Scrabble at night with the protagonist and watch her reading a newspaper...
The narrator is a female character who actually doesn't have a name at all. She is once called as Offred, but she immediately discards that name, saying that she has another one which is forbidden to tell everyone. One of the reasons why she is left nameless is that she represents each woman...
Serena Joy is the Commander's wife who once worked as an activist of anti-feminism. This character has a name of Serena Joy because it was her stage pseudonym. She was a Gospel star and used to be a motivational speaker. She remembers that time of her youth when she performed as a singer at...
Ofglen is one more female character who is another Handmaid. The readers don't know a lot about this woman because she wasn't with the narrator at the Centre. The only information included is that Ofglen is a bit plump, and she has brown eyes. She walks as a "trained pig," but...
Nick is an officer at the Commander's home. He also works as a gardener and a personal driver. Nick is a rebellious male character at the story because he helps Offred to escape from that damned place. The narrator and the man have special feelings for each other, and it is more than just...
Gilead is the society where only male-female relationships are valued, but Moira has different principles. She is a lesbian, and cannot bear living in Gilead. Moira makes several attempts to escape, but they were unsuccessful. The ways she tries to run away are eye-catching. She takes off her...
Luke is a guy who had sexual relationships with Offred before the appearance of Gilead. In the reality which is described by the narrator, he is already dead. He embraces the mind of the poor narrator who doesn't know whether she has to remember him or begin to live a new life. There is no...
Aunt Lydia is an instructor whose main aim is to teach other women from Gilead to be adaptive. She belongs to the whole class of Aunts who prepare future Housemaids for their work. Aunt Lydia is portrayed only in Offred's memories. The narrator remembers the instructions of this strict woman...
Cora is an obedient servant who belongs to the class of Marthas – infertile women. They are of the lowest status because they cannot become Wives. Their main tasks are connected with household, cleaning, doing manual work. Cora is kind, and she has a good relationship with the narrator. She...
Janine is an ordinary Housemaid who is a bit luckier than all the other girls in the house of Gilead. She gave birth to a baby. Therefore, other women are envious. The narrator knows her since being at the Red Centre. It is soon revealed that Janine's baby is transformed to the...