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Illustrated portrait of Offred

A character in The Handmaid's Tale

Offred

Offred is the narrator and a Handmaid assigned to the Commander’s household.

The book

Cover of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Handmaid's TaleMargaret Atwood, 1985

One woman remembers freedom while authoritarian rules become ordinary through repetition, fear, and religious language.

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Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

Offred is the narrator and a Handmaid assigned to the Commander’s household. She wants to survive and retain some connection to Luke, her daughter, and the person she was before Gilead. Her resistance is uneven: she hoards words, accepts risky meetings, helps Ofglen only cautiously, and becomes attached to Nick. She enters a van at the end. Her real name and final fate remain unknown in the novel.

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