Narrative Essay

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The concept of a dystopian society comes off as so unrealistic to such a vast majority of people, that it is seen more as a fictitious scenario, rather than as a possible reality. Therefore, the author had to write the novel in a way that the audience could identify with the novel, and see the situation in the Handmaid’s tale as a possible but unlikely event that could happen in the future. Atwood achieves this through the use of a homodiegetic narrator, Offred. Being both the narrator and the protagonist, we see the world through her eyes and her eyes alone. The purpose of having a homodiegetic narrator is so the Author can be set apart from the protagonist, to make what Offred experiences see all the more real to the audience. Seeing the world within the novel through her eyes makes the situation much more believable, for what we read is not an interpretation, but what Offred lives and experiences throughout the novel.

Writing words on a piece of paper hoping to obtain a story is not a complicated task, the true challenge is in bringing this story to life. Several aspects are needed to liven up every novel. However, what truly makes a story remarkable is the development of its characters. The Handmaid’s tale is an outstanding example of how a well written character can make a literary piece stand out amongst the others. Offred is presented to us as a rather ordinary woman in an ordinary world, where everyone appears to have lost their individuality. Be that as it may, Offred continues to hold on to whatever remnants she can find of the woman she used to be. We are driven throughout the novel by her thoughts and opinions, we essentially understand the novel the same way in which she understands Gilead.