Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird
I entertained myself by coming up with various theories for the book's setting at and around Harvard. Perhaps because Harvard was founded by the Puritans? Or because elite academia was still a white male stronghold? Because liberal institutions aren't sufficient defense against the powers of reaction? But I looked up Atwood after I finished and I suspect it's because . 
I rather disliked Offred. She was not heroic in the mold of Ofglen or Moira. She fought back only to the extent of hiding a matchstick in her mattress and made stupid choices. Her passivity was understandable but not admirable. And yet the machinery of the resistance saved her and not the others. |
I agree with you as far as Offred not being heroic., but I think she was saved because she was the safest bet. The other ladies were almost too "radical" not to be found out, although Ofglen certainly hid it well at the beginning of the book.