Other characters

Moira

Moira is Offred’s best friend in the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. She often appears in Offred’s memories of life before the Gilead regime took over, and Offred then meets her in person at the brothel club, where Moira is working. They were also kept at the same Handmaid training center together. 

In terms of her outer characterization, before the revolution, Moira worked for a women’s collective and wore bold, unusual clothes: “Moira, sitting on the edge of my bed, legs crossed, ankle on knee, in her purple overalls, one dangly earring, the gold fingernail she wore to be eccentric, a cigarette between her stubby yellow-ended fingers.” (Chapter 7, 17%)

When Offred meets her again at the club, Moira is wearing high heels and a revealing bunny outfit: “She’s dressed absurdly, in a black outfit of once-shiny satin that looks the worse for wear. It’s strapless, wired from the inside, pushing up the breasts, but it doesn’t quite fit Moira […]” (Chapter 37, 69%). She explains to Offred that the outfit is “government issue”; she is forced to wear it as part of her role at the club. 

In terms of her inner characterization, Moira is a feminist who believes in women’s rights. She comes across as feisty and brave; Offred admires her for these characteristics. She is also determined: she knows she wants to get out of the Handm...