Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up… in “old” America, before the Republic of Gilead overthrew the government and instituted a new order based on a fundamentalist reading of the Old Testament.
Living… in what used to be Cambridge. He’s the head of his household and has numerous servants, and much more freedom than the vast majority of people in Gilead.
Profession… a military man – hence the title. Before Gilead, he worked as a market researcher. Now, he’s a high-ranking officer in Gilead’s new hierarchy.
Interests… books and other intellectual pursuits. Unfortunately, many of the books he loves are banned under Gilead’s new laws. He uses his privileged position to hide forbidden books in his home office, even sharing books with his Handmaid Offred – which is strictly against the law, because women aren’t allowed to read.
Relationship Status… married to former televangelist Serena Joy. However, he has been unable to have children with her. Since children are mandatory in Gilead, he has purchased a Handmaid – Offred – who functions as a substitute for his wife for procreation.
Challenge… hiding his books and his unhappiness. Although the Commander may have helped bring about the new Republic, he feels trapped by the lack of intellectual stimulation in this new orthodox society.
Personality… self-centered and complex. The Commander seems like an easy-going person, a regular guy who is willing to bend the rules for his household now and then. But the rule-breaking always serves him ultimately, and he doesn’t care whether he risks someone else in the process. It’s hard to say whether he truly believes in the new world he helped create.
Get to Know him in...
-
This 1990 film adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel brings to the screen the painful struggles of Offred in the repressive Republic of Gilead. The all-star cast includes Natasha Richardson as Offred, Faye Dunaway as Serena Joy, Robert Duvall as The Commander, and Elizabeth McGovern as Moira.
-
Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the days before, when she lived and made love with her husband Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now?.
-
Overnight, Offred's husband, daughter, and her job as a librarian were ripped away. Because of chemical pollution, only about 1% of women can become pregnant. Since Offred is one of the fertile women, she has been kidnapped to conceive a baby for a high-ranking official in Gilead. She would try to escape, but every day she sees hanged corpses of those who committed even minor infractions. For now, she is putting on a compliant face until she can find a way out.
