The Commander's character changes throughout the novel - a convention of the fantasy genre - as in
the beginning he is powerful and oppressive, however when Offred realises she "had not been the
first" Handmaid, and the previous one had committed suicide she realises "what I have on him is the
possibility of my own death. What I have on him is guilt" showing a shift in power
His relationship
with Offred
The Commander abuses his position in
power to give Offred luxuries such as
"hand lotion" and spend evenings playing
scrabble. They satisfy each others needs
for companionship, as his "wife doesn't
understand him"
Despite providing this relief for Offred, he is still unaware of the
oppresion the Handmaids face - he is naive - "You want my lfie to
be bearable for me" shows his niavity as only someone who
hasn't been deprived of freedom could imagine that he could
create a bearable state of life for someone else. Chapter 25: "It
wasn't the first time he agve evidence of being truly ignorant of
the real conditions under which we lived"
Offred knows the danger she puts herself through by seeing the
Commander, but the Commander is often ignorant to the
consequences it could have, despite what happened with the
previous Handmaid
Moira suggests it is a "power trip" and the Commander only sees Offred as a way of
asserting his power, and his treats such as going to Jezebels is just a way of showing Offred
that he is in charge
Role in Gilead
Represent the hierachy in society and he in power of
Offred. He is described as "a midwestern bank
president" showing his power and authoritative power
in Gilead
His role is to impregnate the Handmaids, to provide a baby for
the wives, this links to the fantasy element as it is a violation of
what is possible in our society