Chapter 7

Stories which Offred tells

• Who are the characters?

The characters in her stories are: Moira (friend), her mother and minor characters (women).

• From what parts of her past are they taken?

Offred tells two different stories:
1. The story she is telling about her mother is taken from a time when she was young
2. The other story is with her friend, they must be at college because she mentions the subjects: Psychology, English and Economics. She also says "we studied things like that, then". Therefore this story is taken from the time she was in education.

• What do they reveal about Offred's personal history?

The first story about her and her mum shows that her mother was a person who she had lived with when she was young, meaning she was part of a family unlike now.
The other story is about her and Moira, her friend, she mentions subjects, meaning they were school friends, studied together and socialised. The subjects reveals that she is educated and knows about the outside world.

• Why is she exploring these memories, who is listening to them?

She is exploring these memories because now she is in a different soceity than before, she maybe misses these people, she wants to make herself imagine the life she had before. I think the people who are listening are the readers, because she may not be allowed to think about her past anymore.

• What forms of writing do first person narrative suggest?

The first person narrative suggests that she is expressing her feelings by using pronouns such as "I", "My"... etc. It also suggests that she is telling a story that she was part of, so it makes it real and it reveals her feelings and emotions.

• Are the memories being written down?

I think that the memories are not being written down because they may not be allowed to think of their past.

• What tenses are used?

Present tense and past tense has been used in the two stories.