The Handmaid’s Tale Book Club Discussion Questions (With Summary and Themes)

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Quick answer: Good discussion questions for The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood focus on control of women’s bodies, totalitarianism, complicity and resistance, memory, language and power, and how quickly rights can disappear. Below are 18 questions grouped by theme, plus a spoiler-free summary.

Quick facts
Author: Margaret Atwood
Published: 1985
Setting: The Republic of Gilead, in what was the United States (around Cambridge, Massachusetts)
Recognition: Governor General’s Award 1985; the first Arthur C. Clarke Award, 1987
Adaptation: Hulu series (2017–2025); 1990 film; opera and graphic novel
Sequel: The Testaments (2019)
Content note: sexual violence, executions and suicide

The Handmaid’s Tale has been in the news and on bestseller lists for nearly 40 years. Margaret Atwood’s dystopia imagines a near-future America taken over by a regime that strips women of their rights and forces fertile women to bear children for the elite. It’s chilling, darkly funny in places and full of debate. Book clubs come away talking about history, politics and what they would have done. This guide includes a spoiler-free summary, characters and themes, and 18 discussion questions grouped by theme. The questions contain spoilers.

Spoiler-Free Summary

In the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian regime has seized power in the former United States after a crisis of falling birth rates. Women are forbidden to read, work or own property.

The narrator, Offred, is a Handmaid, one of the fertile women assigned to bear children for powerful Commanders and their Wives. She lives in the household of a Commander and his wife, Serena Joy, and goes on shopping walks with another Handmaid, Ofglen.

Offred remembers her former life, with her husband Luke, her young daughter, her best friend Moira and her mother. As she quietly tests the limits of her world, a forbidden connection with the Commander and with a man named Nick puts her life at risk.

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Main Characters and Themes

Character or Theme	What to Know
Offred	The narrator, a Handmaid whose real name we never learn
The Commander	The powerful man whose household she serves
Serena Joy	The Commander’s Wife, once a public figure
Nick	The Commander’s driver
Moira	Offred’s bold best friend from before
Ofglen	Offred’s shopping partner
Aunt Lydia	The woman who trains the Handmaids
Luke	Offred’s husband before Gilead
Control	How a regime takes over bodies and language
Resistance	Small acts of rebellion and survival

Discussion Questions (Contains Spoilers)

Gilead

1. How did Gilead come to power so quickly? What warning signs did people miss?
2. Atwood said she included nothing that hadn’t already happened somewhere in history. How does that change your reading?
3. How does Gilead use language, like “Blessed be the fruit,” to control people?

Offred

4. Why do you think we never learn Offred’s real name?
5. Is Offred brave, passive or simply surviving?
6. What does Offred’s relationship with the Commander reveal about power?
7. How does memory help Offred survive, and also hurt her?

Women in Gilead

8. How are women divided into classes, and why?
9. Is Serena Joy a villain, a victim or both?
10. What does Aunt Lydia’s role show about how women can enforce oppression?
11. What does Moira represent?

Resistance

12. What forms of resistance appear in the book?
13. “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.” What does the phrase mean to Offred?
14. What did you make of Nick and his role in the ending?

The Ending and the Big Picture

15. How did the “Historical Notes” section change how you saw the story?
16. Why do you think Atwood chose an ambiguous ending?
17. Which parts of the book feel most relevant today?
18. If you’ve watched the Hulu series, how does it compare?

If you or someone in your group is struggling, you can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US).

Is The Handmaid’s Tale a Good Book Club Pick?

Choose it if your group enjoys dystopian fiction or wants to talk about politics, history and women’s rights. It’s about 310 pages and reads fast once you adjust to Offred’s style. Expect strong opinions, and set a few ground rules if your group’s politics differ. The content includes sexual violence, so a heads-up helps. Groups that enjoy it often read The Testaments next and compare the two.

Book Club Ideas for The Handmaid’s Tale

• Wear red or white, or bring a single red flower as a nod to the Handmaids.
• Read the Historical Notes aloud and discuss who controls history.
• Talk about real history: which events might have inspired Gilead?
• Watch an episode of the series or compare with the 1990 film.
• Write one forbidden word on a card, then share why it matters.

Books Like The Handmaid’s Tale

If your group loved it, try The Testaments by Margaret Atwood for the sequel set 15 years later, 1984 by George Orwell for the classic dystopia, or Vox by Christina Dalcher for a newer take on silencing women.

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How to Structure Your Meeting

Start by asking whether each member thinks Gilead could happen, and why. Then work through two or three questions from each theme above, saving the “big picture” questions for the end. If your group is large, split into pairs for one theme and report back.

A simple 90-minute plan:

• 0–15 minutes: food, catch-up and the opening question.
• 15–60 minutes: the discussion questions, theme by theme.
• 60–75 minutes: one of the book club ideas above, or a quick comparison with the adaptation if there is one.
• 75–90 minutes: everyone rates the book out of five in one sentence, then you pick next month’s read.

Related: the best controversial books for book clubs and the best science fiction books for book clubs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Handmaid’s Tale about?

It’s a dystopian novel about Offred, a woman forced to bear children for a powerful Commander in Gilead, a totalitarian regime that has taken over the United States.

Is there a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale?

Yes. The Testaments, published in 2019, is set about 15 years later and co-won the Booker Prize.

What does “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum” mean?

It’s mock Latin, roughly “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” Offred finds it scratched in her closet.

Is The Handmaid’s Tale appropriate for teens?

It’s often taught in high school, but it includes sexual violence and executions, so it’s best for older teens and adults.