The Handmaid's Tale Analysis

The best words to describe the overall mood of The Handmaid’s Tale are dark, nostalgic, and hopelessness. I noticed these moods through the plot and character of the novel. The mood is appropriate for the novel because it impacts the way the reader feels and allows them to have deeper understanding of what’s going on in the story.

To begin with, the plot sets the dark mood of the novel. The women in the novel are seen as nothing. They are not allowed to read, they are to be covered head to toe, and they are seen as objects to take advantage of and impregnate. All these pieces of information readers learn throughout the novel show how truly dark the novel is.

Moreover, Offred, sets the nostalgic mood of the novel. Throughout the novel

Offred, mentions her husband, Luke. “We used to talk about buying a house like one of these, an old big house, fixing it up. We would have a garden, swings for the children. We would have children” (Atwood, 23). Offred is reminiscing on her past life, when she was happy. Luke only exists in Offred’s past. Readers know this because when she mentions him it’s always her thinking about what her life used to be like. This invokes the feeling of nostalgia.

Finally, there is a clear sign that the characters face lack of freedom in the novel. “I know why there is no glass, in front of the watercolor picture of blue irises, and why the window opens only partly and why the glass in it is shatterproof. It isn't running away they're afraid of. We wouldn't get far. It's those other escapes, the ones you can open in yourself, given a cutting edge” (Atwood, 7-8) There is no possibility of suicide because even that type of freedom has been taken away from them. This allows the reader to understand that no matter what they cannot escape their living conditions. This invokes the feeling of hopelessness.