The Day x Connell Guides - The Connell Short Guide to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale tells the story of Offred, a handmaid in the totalitarian Republic of Gilead. She is allowed to leave the home of the Commander and his wife only once a day to visit the market, where signs are now pictures rather than words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray the Commander makes her pregnant because handmaids are valued only if able to have children. Margaret Atwood’s dystopian tale was first published more than 30 years ago, but the issues it raises are as relevant now as they were when it was written.