How does Atwood portray the Commander to us in the novel ‘ The Handmaid’s Tale’.

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How does Atwood portray the Commander to us in the novel ‘ The Handmaid’s Tale’

In Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel about a society under threat, the Commander is the head of a household in the Republic of Gilead. He is an older man who is married but has no children. Children are very important in Gilead and the lack of them is the main reason the existing regime has occurred. The ruling regime are there to encourage the population to increase the birth rate, in the face of a population that chose to either not produce children or embrace a homosexual approach to life. We learn a lot about the Commander over time and are given an insight into his thoughts and views through his illegal relationship with Offred, the handmaid in his house. However, there are many factors about him that we cannot answer, such as his role in the community. We assume his name is Fred, but he is always referred to as ‘The Commander’. This is a military term, although what he commands is a mystery to the reader. We are also unsure whether he loves or loathes women, due to his diverse relationships with the women in his household.

At the beginning of Chapter 15 we see the Commander as an obnoxious man. He doesn’t wait for permission to enter ‘Serena’s Territory’ but steps forward into the room anyway. This rude action is seen to be a deliberate attempt to show his importance.

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In her description of the Commander before the first ceremony, Atwood uses language such as, ‘a chair reserved for him’, and ‘uncommunicative’ and ‘innocuous’, which makes him appear distant from all the other members of the household. He asks for a glass of water from Cora; this prolongs the obvious tension and discomfort between the people in the room and makes him seem more important than the other members of the household community. Being the Commander, he is also the only one to speak in the room. This further enforces his position at the top of the household hierarchy. ...

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