 You’ve just finished The Handmaid’s Tale... And instead of ending with Offred, Atwood gives us a transcript from an academic conference hundreds of years later. Why? Before we write a more formal literary analysis essay, we need to figure out what this ending is really doing. Address the 5 parts below in your primary blog response. This does not need to be formal in style. It’s thinking on paper (blog), and you can be as conversational as you like. You do not need to answer each specific question in your response, but you should use them to guide your literary musing. PART I: First Reaction
PART II: What Do We Notice? 1. How Do the Scholars Talk About Offred?
PART III: The Last Line The chapter ends with “Are there any questions?” Finish your conversation by exploring at least two possible meanings of this line. Consider:
PART IV: Bridging to the Bigger Idea Now push your thinking further. Do you think Atwood is only criticizing these fictional academics, or might she also be saying something about:
PART V: Preparing for the Essay (The Big Move) How does reading Offred’s full story change the way we judge Professor Pieixoto? In a meta-analysis of this chapter, how does examining Pieixoto's lecture force us to reconsider everything we just read? How does it shift the question from “What happened to Offred?” to “How will her story be handled?” and maybe even to “Who controls meaning?” Finally, ask yourself, "What is Atwood's message to me?" Primary Blog Expectations (respond to the prompt above): 200-250 words, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add a word count. Due by 11:59 pm Friday night, 3/6/2026. Secondary Blog Response Expectations (read everyone's primary responses, select two that interest you, and respond to their ideas): 100-150 words EACH, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add a word count. Due by 11:59 pm Sunday night, 3/8/2026. 
43 Comments
Oftim
3/5/2026 10:29:34 am
When I read the “Historical Notes” at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, it honestly made me feel uncomfortable and a little annoyed. After spending the entire novel hearing Offred’s personal thoughts and emotions, the story suddenly shifts to an academic conference where people are talking about her like she is just a piece of evidence from the past. The tone is completely different. Offred’s narration feels emotional and very personal. It also feels like Professor James Darcy Pieixoto is detached and sometimes even joking. The audience laughs during parts of his presentation, which felt so wrong to me because the events they are discussing were actually traumatic for women like Offred.
ofowen
3/6/2026 09:59:56 am
I definitely agree with you, I felt super irritated, dull and confused about the ending. Like what do you mean she just left and that's it. The ending honestly felt super rushed and was not something any of us were expecting. I honestly thought all of the women were going to go against everyone, escape and then rule the world. But this was definitely unexpected. I also didn't like the fact that she literally changed her mind about wanting to stay and stay with Nick and then all of the sudden she changed her mind again and then just left. The ending really made no sense and there should have been a different tone at least in the ending, but they literally talked about her as if she was nothing or like she wasn't just the main character of the story.
Offloyd
3/6/2026 12:31:17 pm
Ofsam
3/6/2026 05:22:55 pm
Yes, I agree! I felt the same about the ending, it was very uncomfortable and irritating. From reading Offred's emotional story to the part that is supposedly funny to the audience and detached was a huge shift. I felt very upset for Offred because she went through so much under Gilead's government, and was able to give very detailed insight about how it runs, just for her experiences to never be once acknowledged. Her suffering, her trauma, and her family were ripped apart because of the government and Professor Pieixoto never once made mention of any of it. He only cared about which COmmander she belonged to and figuring out historical details about Gilead's leaders.
Ofgeorge
3/6/2026 11:07:03 pm
I agree with your point about how uncomfortable the Historical Notes feel at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale. The sudden shift from Offred’s emotional storytelling to a formal academic lecture really changes the mood. Like you said, it feels strange hearing Professor Pieixoto talk about her story like it is just historical evidence instead of a real person’s life. The audience laughing also makes the moment feel disrespectful, especially after we spent the whole novel understanding how traumatic life in Gilead was. I also agree with your idea that Pieixoto focuses more on facts, like identifying the Commander, instead of Offred’s emotions and survival. This shows how history can sometimes ignore personal experiences. Margaret Atwood may be showing that even in the future, people might still misunderstand or minimize women’s stories.
Ofdan
3/8/2026 10:12:52 pm
I totally agree with you. I was superrrrr annoyed that the book ended like that. It felt like the whole point of Offred's story was just thrown away and turned into lost media. We lost all the meaning with the teachers just treating it like some kids book and focusing on the men for nearly all of it. Although I feel like that might've been the point. It makes the reader realize that even if someone can try to crush a system, overthrow it, and eventually it falls. Some new system appears yet again to oppress more people, even if it's not blatantly obvious.
Ofben
3/5/2026 05:35:29 pm
Reading the Historical Notes at the end of Atwood’s novel left me with a sense of melancholy, frustration, and loss. The drastic shift from Offred’s reflective, tragic, and quietly resistant tone to Professor Pieixoto’s immensely academic, detached, and unempathetic one shocked me, which I think highlights the disconnect between lived historical experiences and contemporary study of them. Pieixoto’s tone toward Offred and her story is almost accusatory at times. For instance, he muses about how our protagonist “does not see fit to supply us with her original name,” failing to consider the circumstances under which Offred was forced to make this choice; he doesn’t take her story seriously, only seeing it as something to benefit himself and his students rather than someone’s past trauma and experiences (Atwood 305). In the process of intellectualizing and neutralizing Offred’s testimony, he also diminishes and scrutinizes it, emphasizing how patriarchal societies often treat women’s stories and experiences with an unwarranted degree of skepticism and apathy.
Ofhenry
3/14/2026 12:43:46 am
I like the point you made about the disconnect between Offred’s lived experience and the way Professor Pieixoto studies it. After reading Offred’s emotional and personal narration in The Handmaid’s Tale, his tone feels really cold and detached. Your example about him criticizing Offred for not giving her real name is a good one, because it shows how he ignores the reality of the situation she was in. She was trying to survive, not document history for future scholars.
Ofsteve
3/5/2026 10:03:36 pm
As I read the historical notes at the end of the novel, I felt confused and had mixed emotions as I looked back on the novel as a whole. There was a sense of relief because it was confirmed that the oppressive system of Gilead had collapsed. However, I'm uneasy with the fact that there are still ironic jokes about women's oppression coming from the scholars, even after reading the trials Offred went through. Focusing on how the scholars acted, they seem to care more about the commander than Offred. They completely missed the whole plot and perceived Offred’s trauma as a historical artifact. This suggests that there is no progression in society. The way the scholars talked about Offred shows that women’s sufferings are overlooked and minimized. The last line ending with “Are there any questions?” was aimed at the scholars and the readers. In one’s eyes, this novel can be perceived as a history lesson. However, Atwood wants anyone reading about Offred to understand her emotions and trauma, that these are not just reconstructed recordings, but someone’s life. Atwood’s message is remarkable, unforgettable to me; the way Professor Pieixoto is portrayed in this novel functions as a symbol and reflection back at society, to think more critically about history with value.
Ofowen
3/6/2026 10:03:45 am
The way they seemed to care more about the commander than Offred was super off-putting and very dystopian considering the fact the commander is a man and Offred is a woman, it really goes to show how this society just cared about men and wanted men to rule and be the superior ones while the leave women behind, trapped in the dark and talking about them as if they were not a human being as well. At least this society didn't last too long and maybe it couldn't last long because they dint have women in power. And that, says a lot.
Oftim
3/6/2026 10:12:00 am
I completely agree, I also felt confused as I read the historical notes. After reading the whole novel from the perspective of Offred, it felt wrong not hearing the ending from her. Especially as you mentioned, the giggles from the crowd felt so wrong, so inhumane. Although it is a relief that the oppressive system of Gilead collapsed, hearing a MALE professor talking about it just felt even more wrong. A system that oppressed women was being told by a man just seems ironic, a woman should’ve been the one to talk. Additionally, as you said, the mention of this novel being perceived as a historical novel instead of the emotional narrative of Offred also felt wrong.
Ofben
3/6/2026 05:17:25 pm
I also felt many conflicting emotions reading this section. On one hand, I am glad to see that the Gileadaean regime has been destroyed. However, the historians’ views on these artifacts of the past suggest that there still remains a strong, patriarchal influence, which frustrated me immensely. Reading Offred’s trauma being picked apart and scrutinized in such a detached, academic way made me think about the ways that we as a society look back on history. Oftentimes in academic spaces, it is easy to get caught up in what we must do for a class or assignment that we forget that the things we are reading about were once lived experiences, stories, and traumas. Although the ending was initially frustrating considering all that we had endured with Offred, that is Atwood’s entire purpose by the end—for us to sit with that frustration and indignation, allowing us to question the “why,” and “how” we ourselves perpetuate a similar rhetoric to Piexioto and his students.
Offlarry
3/8/2026 06:28:59 pm
In my opinion I noticed that they thought that the Commander was more important than Offred, which was very rude and very sexist because the commander was a man and they talked more about the women of the story and she was the main character. This shows how their dystopian society cared more about the man than the women, and they are the ones that carried the men both physically and mentally, but instead they make men think that they are superior to women and make them feel like they're not even human and even less than a being itself, just a baby making machine.
ofowen
3/6/2026 09:55:29 am
I think Atwood wants us to feel very compelled with the ending. If I am honest I was a bit confused at the ending and the ending felt a bit rushed. But I think that was the point that Atwood wanted us to feel confused and compelled at the end. And I think it is to demonstrate the way that we don't know how her story ends because we don't know what the future holds for us. What could possibly happen in our society? We are not sure what society will look like in the next 20 years. SO I think that was the telling of the ending that we don't know where Offred will end up, we don't know her future because we don't know the future.
Oftim
3/6/2026 10:03:51 am
Yes I agree, I feel like this ending was so unexpected and confusing. After hearing the whole story from Offred’s perspective, it sucked not being able to hear the ending from her. I didn’t really like how they left us on a cliff hanger, ending on a question that felt wrong. It felt like it wasn’t doing justice for Offred. I love how you drew parallels with inequality seen more commonly, like inequality in pay and the sexism seen in today’s society. I feel like overall, Offred deserved a more concrete ending, after spending her time in Gilead so oppressed and scared, she deserved justice.
Offloyd
3/6/2026 12:41:48 pm
I find your interpretation of the ending especially interesting. I agree that with it was written, it is expected for readers to feel, as you mentioned, compelled or confused at the lack of clarification. What happened to Offred?, we are left unaware. I did not, however, consider how it frames the future to readers. We do not know what will happen in our society years from now and I think it’s interesting you interpreted Atwood’s writing in that regard. It is extremely plausible that Atwood intended to leave us feeling completely confused in the end, and to further apply that confusion to our own lives and the mystery of what’s to come 10, 20 years from now.
Ofben
3/6/2026 05:33:14 pm
I really like the way you grapple with the implications of the novel’s ending in your response, especially what you wrote about the last line. I think it can be interpreted in so many ways, and I thought it was interesting how you explored this line being Atwood’s final question directly to her readers. When I first read that line, I felt a bit confused, almost like I had lost something by the end. Within the context of the conference, I thought this question emphasized the detached manner in which Professor Piexioto conducted his symposium, highlighting the ways that contemporary society perpetuates the same sort of detachedness in studies of history. I thought it to be slightly ironic and demeaning almost, considering everything Offred had gone through. After reading your post, however, I also see how it really emphasizes the “unknown,” as you say, and the uncertainty of Offred’s future, and, ultimately, our future. I also thought it was interesting that you mention sometimes it’s better to let things go unheard or unseen, yet I think that through these last few chapters, Atwood warns us against this by criticizing the academics’ mistreatment of Offred’s experiences as mere objects to supplement their academic accomplishments and discoveries. Through this critique, I think she may actually want us to do the opposite, and rather face the horrid truths so that we can learn from them and become more empathetic as people and as a society. I’m honestly very interested in what more you’d have to say about this!
Offlarry
3/8/2026 06:53:47 pm
I totally agree with your perspective on this, because it was kinda confused from their dystopian language to modern language. This is because after hearing Offred’s perspective and feeling and hearing all her hardships I didn’t like how they talked about her in the end, and how they praised the commander. I also HATED the fact that they never told us how Gilead came to an end, or how Offred got her happy ending out of this misery of a place. But I loved how you explained the injustice in the world and in Gilead in terms of pay and the way society views the strengths of men and women.
Offloyd
3/6/2026 12:24:54 pm
In my initial reaction to reading the Historical Notes, I felt almost relieved. It felt as if finally we were seeing a “modern” perspective that not necessarily critiques the oppressiveness of Gilean society, but at least provides commentary that evaluates it almost like we as the reader would. I found it disappointing, but not surprising, how the speakers in the historical note took the treatment of women quite lightly; but then again, the speakers were white(?) men, unpressured by their society and incapable of fully comprehending the absurdity of GIlead. The scholars prioritize the mystery of who the commander is, unironically, dismissing Offred’s story (despite her documentation providing the basis on which they give their lecture). The last line provides no sense of closure to Offred’s story. We are left with a final, ironic, narration of what she has experienced that fails to address what she has suffered through. This seems like a direct critique by Atwood to the same society that treats women’s testimonies. Although it is thanks to Offred the scholars have a close look at Gilead society, they still fail to acknowledge her story and the story of the other Handmaids who have suffered. Peixoto's lecture leaves me wishing for more, yet unsurprised. The entire story we witnessed women being treated as less than by their society, and even into the future, they are, disappointingly, not taken seriously.
Ofsam
3/6/2026 04:30:16 pm
Interesting because how I felt was the opposite of what you felt. I was personally very uncomfortable mainly due to the "jokes" being made by the Professor and how Offred's emotions were very easily disregarded and brushed under the rug.
Ofbrian
3/8/2026 07:43:59 pm
I found it interesting that your initial reaction to the “Historical Notes” was relief, because I can see how having an outside perspective on Gilead might feel like it gives the reader more clarity. However, I also agree with your point that the scholars end up treating the women’s suffering far too lightly. Your observation about them prioritizing the Commander’s identity over Offred’s personal story was especially strong, because it shows how academic discussions can shift attention away from the people who actually experienced the oppression. I also appreciated what you said about the ending and how the final line gives no real closure. Leaving Offred’s fate unresolved feels very intentional. Like you mentioned, even though Offred’s testimony is the foundation of the scholars’ research, they still fail to truly acknowledge her experience. That really reinforces Atwood’s critique of how society often handles and minimizes women’s stories.
Ofsam
3/6/2026 04:18:52 pm
While I was reading the "Historical Notes," all I could think about was Offred and if she ever got her change to freedom. I felt quite uncomfortable because of how detached the tone suddenly became. Earlier Offred's story felt personal and emotional, but the scholars treat it more like a historical quiz. Offred tone was emotional, fearful, personal, reflective and Professor Piecoto's tone was formal, joking and dismissive. This contrast shows how History can distance people from real suffering. At wood might want us to feel this way to show how easily people turn real trauma into an academic discussion.
OFTOM
3/8/2026 03:09:16 pm
I agree with the analysis, particularly the part where you said that Pieixoto was only interested in the Commander Offred was with. He is more curious about things like which Commander offered belonged to or how Gilead's leadership functions.Rather than the experiences of the women, he primarily concentrates on political power and historical evidence. He views Offred's recordings more as historical artifacts that aid academics in understanding Gilead's political system. He seems to be attempting to conduct an objective analysis of the past, but in the process, he separates himself from the human suffering that Offred detailed. He views her story as evidence to examine those in positions of authority rather than as a testimony to oppression.
Ofsteve
3/8/2026 06:50:33 pm
I agree with your statement about the contrast between Offred’s and the Professor’s tones. As you stated, “This contrast shows how History can distance people from real suffering. Atwood might want us to feel this way to show how easily people turn real trauma into an academic discussion,” this point was really evident by the novel initially being driven with a dark, bleak, and unsettling tone to Offred’s story. Then now reading the historical notes, there’s a sudden switch of closure, not being able to digress the suffering Offred experienced with the classroom but with ironic jokes.
OFTOM
3/6/2026 09:30:28 pm
The "Historical Notes" at the conclusion of The Handmaid's Tale were peculiar and, to be honest, a little unsettling to read. After hearing Offred's voice and her personal experiences throughout the entire book, the tone abruptly shifts to one of academic detachment. Rather than emphasizing her feelings, fear, and survival, the scholars handle her story as if it were a historical relic. Offred's suffering seemed to be being downplayed, so my initial reaction was one of frustration. However, there were also times that seemed strangely funny, particularly when the audience laughed at particular remarks. Given the gravity of Offred's experiences, that humor seemed out of place, which added to the scene's unnerving quality.
Ofbrian
3/8/2026 07:39:27 pm
I also found the “Historical Notes” unsettling because of the sudden shift in tone after following Offred’s emotional story for the entire novel. Your point about the scholars treating her account as an artifact rather than a testimony is really compelling. It shows how easily real suffering can be reduced to data when people analyze history from a distance. I also agree with what you said about the audience laughing during the lecture. That moment felt uncomfortable and almost disturbing, especially considering everything Offred went through. It makes the reader wonder whether society has truly progressed after the fall of Gilead. Your observation that Pieixoto focuses more on identifying the Commander than understanding Offred’s life is also very strong. It highlights how easily women’s voices and experiences can be marginalized, even when their stories survive.
Ofdan
3/8/2026 10:16:56 pm
I think I interpreted it in a similar way. They don't seem to care for the message, theme, or text in general of what Offred left behind. The professor definitely seems detached to the story. He makes it seem like it is some mystery case or some random piece a teacher pulled just to read, not like an actual story of suffering and pain; because in that universe it was very real of what happened to her. It just makes me wonder what things we have done like that is our society, have reduced some stories down to nothing more than facts?
Ofbrian
3/6/2026 09:32:26 pm
Finishing the “Historical Notes” in The Handmaid’s Tale felt really jarring. After spending the whole novel inside Offred’s emotional and personal perspective, Professor Pieixoto’s detached academic tone feels cold and almost dismissive. Offred’s narration is full of fear, memory, and survival, but the historians treat her story more like a historical artifact than a survivor’s testimony. One moment that especially stood out to me was when the audience laughs during Pieixoto’s presentation. It feels uncomfortable because it shows how disconnected they are from the suffering Offred experienced.
OFTOM
3/8/2026 02:52:56 pm
I agree with your interpretation of the final paragraph. The audience views the presentation as entertainment rather than showing sympathy for Offred and the other women who endured hardships in Gilead.Their lack of empathy for Offred's suffering is evident in their laughter. They don't see it as a true human tragedy, but rather as an intriguing lecture based on historical events. It's ironic, in my opinion, because Offred devoted the entire book to preserving her story so that someone would hear it and comprehend what had happened. However, when her story is eventually told in the future, people laugh during the conversation and treat it as a joke.
Offlary
3/6/2026 09:53:40 pm
As I read the Historical Notes for The Handmaid’s Tale, it made me feel fearful and angry. This is because after being with the main character from start to finish feeling her emotions, thoughts and desires throughout the entire novel in Gilead. The story suddenly changes into a modern world in a conference having their stories said like it’s in a museum of dinosaurs and people talking about it like it wasn’t hard, and really funny, but I am here to say that it was real, and it felt like throughout the novel those women went through hell and back just to stay alive, doesn't sound funny to me. The tone is so different because Offred’s point of view touched many hearts and felt like true raw emotion, but in Professor Pieixoto point of view felt like it was a joke and that their lives shouldn’t have been taken seriously, and a little dry. And what got me the most angry was the audience laughing at these stupid jokes, and not one of them actually hearing the story being said and staying that these women were survivors and victims of an evil society taking over them, making them feel worthless and degraded. Also Professor Pieixoto needs to do more research in this society because he is saying facts on what happened (yes), but he is not saying the experiences that women had to endure or the emotions they felt living in a dystopian world like that especially Offred who is the main character, he just talks about the Commander which seems a little sexist if you ask me! The only positive thing is that the Historical Notes show that Gilead falls but the modern audience talks about what happened in Gilead it shows that even in the modern society 200 years later that society still does not completely respect women’s experiences, or how they feel through it!
Ofgeorge
3/6/2026 11:00:51 pm
I agree with your reaction to the Historical Notes at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale. It also feels frustrating to see how Professor Pieixoto talks about Offred’s story. Like you said, we spend the whole novel hearing Offred’s personal thoughts and emotions, so it feels wrong when the scholars treat it like a distant historical artifact instead of a real woman’s painful experience. The audience laughing at his jokes also makes the moment uncomfortable because it shows how easily people can forget the suffering behind history. I also agree that it feels sexist that Pieixoto focuses more on the Commander than on Offred herself. Even though Gilead is gone, Margaret Atwood seems to show that society can still ignore or minimize women’s voices and experiences.
Ofmike
3/8/2026 08:21:41 pm
Your reaction to the historical notes is very valid, and I felt the same way. It was weird seeing Gilead from Offred's perspective and her experiences then shifting to Professor Pieixoto's detached view of what happened. Throughout the story, we felt the same fear and control that Offred did living in Gilead, but the historical notes reduced the struggle she went through, treating what Offred and the rest of the women went through as something to study instead of actual suffering. I also agree with what you said about how the audience laughing at Pieixoto's jokes was messed up. It showed that they felt no real empathy for what these women experienced.
Ofdan
3/6/2026 10:35:35 pm
I actually really liked this part of the book. It was really interesting to see that the story does continue and the aftermath took it all. While it is a little weird of an ending I like a story that explains the after. What I didn't like, and of course it was written this way on purpose, was that the professor giving this lecture, Professor Pieixoto, seemed more interested in the men than the women. The women were the ones this whole time period, genocide, and prison was about, yet he still only cares about the male commanders. It feels really ironic, we read this story of how women were oppressed, taken advantage of, and killed, yet the professor seems not to care. He still only cares about the men. I think Atwood is criticizing the fact that even if something happens to women it's not talked about and it's pushed to the side. The government and other groups of people are constantly trying to hide all the oppression and make it seem like nothing happened. The oppressor controls the narrative and how history is remembered, even if something changes the oppressors stay oppressed. I think Atwood wants us to learn that if we want something to happen or change we need to take it into our own hands and make sure people actually remember the truth. To not let the elite control how history is remembered.
Ofdan
3/6/2026 10:36:20 pm
*WC: 237
Ofcharles
3/8/2026 03:05:14 pm
I like the point you made about how the Historical Notes show what happens after Gilead. I also thought it was interesting because it makes the story feel bigger than just Offred’s personal experience. It shows that Gilead eventually fell, which gives at least a little sense of hope.
Ofgeorge
3/6/2026 10:54:06 pm
When I first read the “Historical Notes” at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, it felt strange and uncomfortable. After spending the whole novel hearing Offred’s emotional and personal story, the tone suddenly becomes academic and almost casual. Professor Pieixoto talks about her story like it is just historical evidence instead of a real woman’s experience. Some parts even feel awkwardly humorous because the audience laughs at his jokes. That made me feel a little angry because Offred’s suffering and fear seem less important to them than figuring out the identities of the male leaders in Gilead.
Ofcharles
3/8/2026 03:03:07 pm
Your response makes a really good point about how the tone shift makes the ending feel uncomfortable. I also felt that disconnect between Offred’s emotional narration and the way Professor Pieixoto talks about her story like it’s just evidence for research. The part you mentioned about the audience laughing is important too because it shows how removed they are from what actually happened to her. It almost feels like they’re forgetting that Offred was a real person who went through all of that fear and loss.
Ofmike
3/8/2026 08:28:54 pm
I think you're right that Atwood is trying to show how the experiences women go through can often be minimized or even ignored. Pieixoto mostly talks about the details surrounding the men who were in power, like the true identity of the Commander. He barely spoke about the women who actually faced the oppression of Gilead, and when he did, he would make little jokes about it. I also agree with what you said about the last line, "are there any questions?" It feels very dismissive and Offred's story doesn't really get any real closure, and it really highlights the idea that history is controlled by the people who write it.
Ofcharles
3/8/2026 03:00:38 pm
Reading the “Historical Notes” at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale felt strange and honestly a little uncomfortable. After spending the whole novel inside Offred’s thoughts and emotions, the sudden shift to a formal academic conference felt cold and detached. Offred’s narration is personal, emotional, and focused on survival, while Professor Pieixoto’s tone is analytical and almost casual. At times the audience even laughs, which feels unsettling because they are reacting to a story that was clearly traumatic. Atwood may want readers to feel this discomfort because it shows how easily real human suffering can become just another subject for study.
Ofsteve
3/8/2026 07:01:55 pm
I agree with the fact that the question, “Are there any questions,” can be ironic, maybe a slight insult towards scholars or today’s educational system? It did sound very dismissive, as if Offred’s story was a casual experience. I believe Atwood is criticizing and showing the emotional truth on how women's oppression is still present today. Even after reading a novel that reveals how bleak, violent women oppression can be, it felt like the scholars in the moment treated it as a normal school assignment.
Ofmike
3/8/2026 07:55:02 pm
When I read the historical notes at the end of the book, it kind of felt like there was something missing. It was a bit weird, switching from such a dystopian society and experiencing it through Offred to a conference that takes place in the future that’s analyzing Gilead. In addition, I also thought the name of the university the conference was held at was strange as well; “University of Denay, Nunavit,” which sounds like “deny none of it.” It’s strange but also interesting because these scholars are studying Gilead as history, but it doesn’t seem like they fully understand or respect the trauma people like Offred experienced being there.
Ofhenry
3/14/2026 12:42:11 am
I completely agree with your point about the tone in the historical notes feeling kind of uncomfortable. After spending the whole book hearing Offred’s personal story in The Handmaid’s Tale, it feels really weird to suddenly hear scholars talking about it like it’s just a research topic. The jokes and the audience laughing also made it feel weird because they’re joking about something that was clearly traumatic for women like Offred.
Ofhenry
3/14/2026 12:39:36 am
After reading the part titled “Historical Notes” at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, it honestly felt strange and a little uncomfortable. After spending the whole novel inside Offred’s thoughts and emotions, suddenly hearing scholars talk about her story like it was just a historical document and it just felt cold. The tone is very different from Offred’s narration. Offred’s voice is a lot more person personal, emotional, & sometimes desperate, but Professor Pieixoto sounds detached and even amused. At times the audience laughs, which makes the whole situation feel reallyunsettling because they are laughing about a story that was clearly traumatic. Leave a Reply. |
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