Storytelling plays a major role in Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale , because the protagonist, Offred, tells the story of her present as well as her past. Her flashbacks are important because the emotion she felt in the past affects how she feels in the present. The feelings of longing, sorrow, and reverence that she reflects on also give the reader further insight into the character’s mind. Most of all, they develop the meaning in the work by focusing on the major theme of the importance of taking action. By comparing the past the present and retelling how she let her life reach this state, Offred stresses the consequences of choosing submission over rebellion.

In the novel, Offred feels longing more than any other emotion. She often lies awake at night thinking about Luke, her lost lover, and yearning to be with him again. The heartbreak Offred feels when she reminisces on her time spent with Luke compels the reader to sympathize with her. Offred often clarifies that her longing for Luke is not merely lustful. In reality, what she truly longs for is freedom. She wants the liberty to love freely. The contract to the passionate relationship she once had with Luke emphasizes the shallowness of the relationships in her present life. Eventually, these feelings begin to affect Offred’s actions when she begins to see Nick as Luke “in another body” (99). Though her secret affair with Nick seems to satiate her longing, it cannot completely ease her sorrow over the loss of her husband.

Offred’s memories almost always evoke a sense of sadness. She feels the most sorrow over the loss of her family; that being Luke, her mother, and her daughter. Offred frequently reflects on how much she cared for her child and pray that she was alive and doing well in the present. One instance which caused great sorrow for Offred is when Serena shows her a picture of her daughter. Offred is thankful that her child is alive, but at the same time feels deeply sad because she realizes that she has been forgotten and is now, to her daughter, only “a shadow of a shadow, as dead mothers become” (228). This painful realization, coupled with the fact that she could do nothing about it, made Offred feel that she preferred not knowing about her daughter at all. These painful moments and reflections evoke empathy towards Offred and paint the tone of the scene, while also revealing much about the storyline.

The character Moira, Offred’s bold, rebellious, best friend plays a significant role in her flashes to the past as well. Offred looks up to her because Moira represents resistance, standing up, fighting back. She has all the qualities Offred wishes she had the courage to show. Thus, when Offred retells her past with Moira, it is clear that she admires Moira and sees her as an inspiration. Numerous times, Offred curses herself for being weak and not more like Moira, such as when she recounts how Moira cleverly escaped the Red Center. This reverence toward her best friend is important because it sets Offred up for the great disappointment she faces later in the book when she finds Moira in Jezebel’s. There, Offred’s heroic vision of Moira begins to crumble when she says, “I don’t want her to be like me. Give in, go along, save her skin. I want gallantry from her… Something I lack” (249). Offred admits her flaws and reveals her reasons for looking up to Moira. She is broken because she was expected to meet the same daringly courageous rebel, but instead finds that Moira had become complacent with oppression and surrendered to the system, just like her.

Recapturing and reflecting on past emotions plays a significant role in Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaids Tale because Offred’s flashbacks set the mood for the novel and give the reader further insight into her character. By retelling her memories in contrast to narrating the present, she also emphasizes the importance of taking action, a main theme of the novel. The way in which Offred recounts the story almost emerges as a warning of what may happen if we do not stand up for ourselves.