When I read the summary on the back of my book, I was confused by the name of our protagonist, Offred. I thought it was a unique name that I had never heard of before, but it didn't have much of an effect on me. It wasn't until I got to page 35, "Ofwayne. No. Ofwarren," that I understood what these "names" meant. These women have had their names replaced (probably not of their own choice) to belong to the Commander that they are assigned to. It's not really that deep, at least not yet, but I found it interesting nevertheless.
I also thought that it is interesting to note how different this novel is from the other two novels that we have read. The constraints on sexuality and women's freedom seems much more believable in this novel. I also enjoy the style of writing in this book as well. I like how there is still an element of mystery, rather than the narrator just telling us what has occurred to result in the current society.
Yes! "Offred" actually does sound like a real name, but instead it's the erasure of a name.
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