se to have a sense of hope. She thinks of the woman in "her" room before her. Her strong sense of life did nothing to help her earn her freedom. She received nothing from her quiet rebellions. Offred is also obviously the perfect narrator because she is a handmaiden. In this new system, almost a caste system, the role of being a handmaiden is not only of great importance, but is also considerably better than other positions, such as an "unwoman", who cleans toxic waste in the Colonies. Because Offred is characterized as passive, and mostly compliant, she is not as much in danger as other characters. Moira, her friend from college and the previous life, is dynamic and full of life. She doesn't want to be held back, and her resistance causes her both trouble and distress. Janine, another character, is a "brown-noser" who uses flattery and praise to achieve a virtually impossible level of hierarchy with the Aunts among her peers. She has to sacrifice self-worth, though, and her admittance of fault in being raped is disgusting. The tense that Atwood uses is relative to the narrator also. The shifts from present to past are frequent. When an author causes the narrator to use past tense, the reader can generally conclude that the narrator knows the end of the story. This builds a sense of suspense. Using present tense allows images in the story to be more solid and realistic, compared to past life. Not all shifts in tense are used for the same reason. When Offred is "speaking" of Luke, she can't decide if she is in love with him, or if she was in love with him. Offred gradually reveals the story, which we are to eventually discover is on tape. Atwood elects to use leisurely disclosure in order to make the conclusion of the story more believable. The "Historical Notes" chapter causes the reader to re-examine the book, both mentally and manually. As the reader recalls the jumble of thoughts, the bouncing back and fort...
