Part I; Night

• The novel opens with Offred remembering her time in the red centre being taught to obey Gilead's regime through domineering and cruel punishments such as "electrical cattle prods"; this animorphism shows the dehumanisation of these women as well as symbolising a "herd mentality"
• Chapter one ends with the women secretly sharing their names "Alma, Janine, Dolores, Moira, June" to attempt to reclaim some sense of identity
• While Offred's real name is never explicitly revealed it is speculated that she is June as it the only name not ascribed to another handmaid later in the book; Alma, Janine, Dolores, Moira, June" showing how she is stripped of her voice and identity
• "If only we could talk to them. Something could be exchanged, we thought, some deal made, some trade-off, we still had our bodies. that was our fantasy" - shows how all women in Gilead have left to bargain with is sex and all they are seen to offer is children, the use of the use of the plural first person pronoun "we" displays how women are stripped of their individuality and reduced to their biological purposes"
• "We learned to lip read, our heads flat on the beds, turned sideways, watching each others mouths. in this way we exchanged names, from bed to bed, Alma, Janine, Delores, Moira, June" this displays how the women try and keep hold of their individuality in darkness through their names
• It is speculated that Offred's real name is June as it is the only handmaid's name that is not assigned to another handmaid, additionally it is her name in the television adaptation