We learn everything through Offred’s fractured, unreliable memory. She is drugged, deprived of reading material, and isolated. Consequently, the reader never fully understands the geography of Gilead or its military structure. We are as blind and paranoid as she is. This narrative technique forces the reader into the same helpless hyper-vigilance Offred experiences daily.
The Handmaid's Tale matters for several reasons: The Handmaids Tale
Hope arrives in small doses. The underground resistance, known as "Mayday," provides a narrative lifeline. But more importantly, there is Moira—Offred’s lesbian, punk-rock best friend from college. Moira refuses to assimilate. She tries to escape twice, and even when recaptured and forced to work in Jezebel’s (a brothel for Commanders), she retains her defiance. Moira represents the lesbian continuum of resistance that the patriarchy cannot fully crush. We are as blind and paranoid as she is