What does Offred’s name mean?

Explanation:

Offred’s name carries significant meaning in the literary context of acclaimed novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale”. The name Offred is a hybridization of ‘of Fred’, where Fred refers to the Commander, the name of the man Offred is assigned to serve as a Handmaid. This naming convention serves as a subtle yet powerful reminder of the institutionalized oppression and objectification of women in the totalitarian society of Gilead. The use of the prefix ‘of’ before a Handmaid’s name represents her identity as a possession of her assigned Commander, an object to be used solely for procreation, and nothing more.