Handmaid's Tale (pg. 4)

1. “In this way we exchanged names, from bed to bed: Alma. Janine. Delores. Moira. June.” (Page 4):

This quote is taken from the first section of The Handmaid’s Tale. The first section serves as a foreshadow to the main themes of the novel. The first section deals with darkness, control and fear. This line also foreshadows the storyline that the novel will follow. The names listed are characters throughout the novel that Offred knows and suffers with. With these lines, Atwood is able to provide the reader with a sense of what the women experience at being required to behave in a certain manner and the little victories that they feel when they are able to communicate their true names in secret. Handmaid’s Tale depicts the struggles Offred goes through in addition to these young women.