Unorthodox In The Handmaid's Tale

Among dystopian literature, The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood is one of the most abstract. In a world where individualism is eliminated, this book is a terrifying attempt and failure of creating a utopia. Various characters in the novel portray both orthodox and unorthodox characteristics, but the more dangerous of the two is unorthodoxy. In Margaret Atwood’s, The Handmaids Tale, the most unorthodox characters are Offred, Moira, and Serena Joy.

Offred is the main character and narrator of the novel. She is the handmaid of the house and also the most unorthodox. Offred’s mission is to bear a child for Serena Joy and the Commander, and if Offred fails she will meet her demise. Even though Offred never reveals her real name, she tells her

horrifying story through her own eyes. This young handmaid is a bit different than the other handmaids; unorthodox is the word to describe her. Offred often narrates parts of her previous life when she lived with her husband, Luke, and her young daughter. This society does not like to mention the past. She says, “I have them, these attacks of the past” and she admits “I wanted to feel Luke laying beside me” (Atwood 52). The handmaids are not supposed to feel touch at all, especially pleasure. This unorthodox need of Offred frequently causes her to feel empty inside. Her desire for touch is viewed as taboo. Offred is unhappy when she is supposed to feel grateful. She is constantly trying to find ways to distract her mind. An example of this is when she divides her room into sections to explore each day. Keeping her mind preoccupied is Offred’s greatest strategy. She also hides butter from her meals to use as lotion because she thinks, “we can believe that we will someday get out, that we will be touched again” (Atwood 97). These are the ways in which Offred is considered unorthodox both in her actions and her thoughts; causing danger for both her and those around her.
Serena Joy is the Commander’s wife and also a formerly famous evangelical singer.

Serena Joy’s real name is Pam, although she never outright admits this part of her past life. Pam’s pride and joy has become knitting and gardening; while despising handmaids in the meantime. Offred seems to be one of the few who can recall the former Serena Joy. Offred says, “Her speeches were about the sanctity of the home, about how women should stay home” (Atwood 45). This dim light shone on to her past is ironic because it seems as if Serena is disgusted with the way society has become, although women do stay home. Some subtle examples of Pam’s distaste can not only be seen by the way she treats Offred, but in her way of life and various decorations in her house. Serena Joy often wears perfume and, “Perfume is a luxury, she must have some private source” (Atwood 80). This private source is the black market. There is an embroidered pillow left in Offred’s room that reads the word “faith”. The handmaids are not supposed to be allowed to read, but “somehow it’s been overlooked,” in this case (Atwood 57). Serena Joy may be more privileged than the handmaids, but that does not make her any less unorthodox in this strange society that undermines

women.
Moira is the spunkiest of the characters from the novel, while also portraying the most unorthodoxy from the beginning. Offred and Moira are long time best friends before society becomes entirely corrupt. Moira’s biggest downfall is that she is unable to keep quiet about her distaste of events that take place. Aunt Lydia states, “Moira had a bad reputation,” and it did not end there (Atwood 131). Refusing to stay in line and train to be a handmaid, Moira gets herself in some big trouble. The first day the Aunts drag her into the center she is already sneaking off to Offred and telling her, “This is a loony bin” (Atwood 71). Eventually, Moira finds her way out of that place by using her crafty talents. Offred explains these talents to the reader by saying, “Moira had mechanical ability, she used to fix her own car,” and it is this talent that she uses to disassemble a toilet and use it as a weapon to escape (Atwood 131). After using her cunning abilities to get away from the center, Moira spends some time travelling underground from safe house to safe house. Moira makes it all the way up to Bangor where she is a short distance away from safety in Canada. Then she is caught and given an ultimatum. Her captors tell Moira she can either be sent to the colonies to die, or she can work as a prostitute in a gentlemen’s club called Jezibels. Of course she chooses Jezibels over death, and she explains to Offred that, “it’s not so bad, there’s lots of women around,” and Moira says this light heartedly because she is also a lesbian (Atwood 249). Moira is not only the most daring character, but she is unafraid of hiding her unorthodoxy. Even from the start she is different, and others know this too.
These are just a few of the misfit characters of The Handmaids Tale. Unorthodoxy is the act of going against the expectations of ones society. The characters of Offred, Serena Joy, and Moira not only fail to meet this societies expectation, but they defy it.