The Handmaid's Tale SparkNotes Literature Guide

by SparkNotes

Overview

SparkNotes Literature Guides:
Making the reading experience fun!
 
When a paper is due, and exams loom, here is the lit-crit help students need to succeed! SparkNotes Literature Guides make studying smarter, better, and faster. They provide chapter-by-chapter analysis; explanations of key themes, motifs, and symbols; a review quiz; and essay topics. Lively and accessible, SparkNotes is perfect for late-night studying and paper writing.

Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel about the subjugation of women in a futuristic society has received renewed interest recently, thanks to both current events and a hit TV adaptation. With the help of this SparkNotes guide, students and other readers will be able to make the most of this renowned book—which won the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Booker Prize—and better understand its complex themes.
 
Includes:

• An A+ Essay—an actual literary essay written about the Spark-ed book—to show students how a paper should be written.
• 16 pages devoted to writing a literary essay including: a glossary of literary terms
• Step-by-step tutoring on how to write a literary essay
• A feature on how not to plagiarize

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781411479111
Publisher:	Spark
Publication date:	02/13/2018
Series:	SparkNotes Literature Guide Series , #64
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	445,170
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.40(d)

Table of Contents

Context 1

Plot Overview 3

Character List 6

Analysis of Major Characters 10

Offred 10

The Commander 10

Serena Joy 11

Moira 12

Themes, Motifs & Symbols 13

Women's Bodies as Political Instruments 13

Language as a Tool of Power 13

The Causes of Complacency 14

Rape and Sexual Violence 15

Religious Terms Used for Political Purposes 15

Similarities between Reactionary and Feminist Ideologies 16

Cambridge, Massachusetts 16

Harvard University 16

The Handmaids' Red Habits 17

A Palimpsest 17

The Eyes 17

Summary & Analysis 18

Chapters 1-3 18

Chapters 4-6 21

Chapters 7-9 25

Chapters 10-12 28

Chapters 13-15 31

Chapters 16-21 35

Chapters 22-25 38

Chapters 26-28 41

Chapters 19-32 45

Chapters 33-36 48

Chapters 37-40 51

Chapters 41-44 54

Chapters 45-46 Historical Notes on the Handmaid's Tale 57

Important Quotations Explained 63

Key Facts 66

Study Questions 69

How to Write Literary Analysis 72

The Literary Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide 72

Suggested Essay Topics 84

A Note on Plagiarism 84

Review & Resources 85

Quiz 85

Glossary of Terms 90

Suggestions for Further Reading 91