The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood - "Examine the ways in which the writer (Atwood) uses memory in the novel"

Atwood has used memory in this novel as a form of escape for the main character 'Offred' or 'June' as some critics believe her to be called. Mostly, memories are used when Offred is alone in her room, therefore, the majority of memories occur in the 'Night' sections. The reason Offred only permits memories when she is own her own is because she doesn't want to let any emotion show around other people. This can …

…out in the Historical Notes, has all been remembered sometime after it all happened. The time can shift years in just a few words, and this choppy method keeps readers hooked, and is achieved by the use of memory. While reading the novel, readers go through a method of reconstruction, with fragments of the past being remembered bit by bit throughout the novel, it is this factor that keeps a lot of readers, reading on.