Offred, a victim of the patriarchal society of Gilead, reveals her story through narrative in the present tense. Using the past tense, she describes her memories of her mother, daughter and her husband, Luke. Through these memories she is able to keep herself mentally healthy with the hope that she may be reunited with her family, the most loved and important people in her life. The memories of her family also provide an escapism to her happier, freer life.

The characters of the mother, daughter and Luke show a contrast to the present life she is living. The memories reveal a happier life before the Gileadian regime was established.

We are first introduced to Offred’s daughter as Offred remembers, in the time before Gilead, how Luke and herself cared for their child's safely. They kept plastic bags out of the daughter’s reach or not in the house at all. From this first introduction we learn that Offred deeply cared for and loved her child. Offred felt a “chill of fear” once for keeping the plastic bags carelessly in her reach.

Throughout the novel, the memory of her daughter comes back to her at different ages. This helps Offred in her hope that she is

Offred’s mother was a member of the Women’s Liberation movement in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. She spent most of her life in women’s demonstrations. As an older woman she is lonely and disappointed that Offred takes for granted the advances in women’s rights that her generation achieved.

Luke's strength of character is shown when he kills the family cat. He intelligently realises that if they were to move away and leave the cat people would become suspicious. He describes the cat a “it” to remove any personal, loving bond and to make the task easier. He carried the responsibility and guilt of killing the cat alone, to not put anymore burdens on the family. The act was committed to keep the family safe.

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