The Handmaid's Tale-- response 2

In The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood induces readers to feel sympathetic to the main character. Since the story is told first person from Offred's point of view, we feel closer to her. It makes it seem like she's talking to us. Also, the way the story follows Offred's stream of conciousness gives us a glimpse of what she's thinking. We feel closer to her by experiencing her flashbacks and reading her opinions on all that she has seen. Another reason why we feel close to Offred is the way the book is narrated. Our information is limited to what Offred knows. In that respect, we are in the same position she is. If this story were told by an omnicient narrator, we would get the big picture, but we wouldn't understand how Offred felt. Chapter 46, the ending of the book, is the best example of this. It has an ambiguious ending. The reader is in the same posistion as Offred, because neither one knows what will happen to her next. The narration, stream of conciousness, and the ending all work together to make the reader more aware of how the main character feels.