The Handmaid's Tale - Final Reading Group

Hello year 12s,


For those of you who were unable to attend, this is what we discussed in our final reading group on The Handmaid's Tale:

• We were disappointed with the ending - we would have liked something more 'dramatic' or even tragic to happen to Offred at the end. We found it frustrating that the historical notes didn't offer us an idea of where she ended up after her escape.
• We were also disappointed that we weren't told what had happened to Luke. He seems to be the character that we 'care' most about, despite his existence being limited to Offred's memories.
• We were pleased to find answers to some of the questions we had on the structure and rules of Gilead in the historical notes. E.g. why Offred and Luke were split up when others were seemingly allowed to stay together.
• We had mixed opinions on the actions of the commander. Largely though we felt sympathy for his wife and felt that he had taken advantage of Offred and the other handmaids.
• We were also unsure of how we felt about Nick. We thought it was slightly far-fetched that he turned out to be a member of the resistance and was able to help Offred escape. We were also unsure of his true motives for forming a relationship with her in the first place - we didn't believe it was completely genuine.
• We re-visited our discussion of Moira and spoke again of our disappointment in her character and frustration at not knowing what happened to her after Offred left her in Jezzabels.
• We ended by considering Atwood's motive for writing The Handmaid's Tale and how its message is relatable to current world politics.

I have thoroughly enjoyed discussing this text with you week by week. Independent reading is an important aspect of A Level English Literature and having already read the text once will allow you gain access to a much richer and deeper understanding of it when we study it next term. Well done and thank you to those of you who managed the reading schedule well and were able to discuss and critique the intricate plot.


Next half term we will be meeting to discuss The Great Gatsby. Our first reading group will be on Monday 27th February with Ms Lindsay.


Have a lovely week,


Miss Ryall