Offred is a woman who does not exist. She was, at one time, a mother and wife, as well as an educated professional, in a United States that was slinking towards right-wing Christian domination even as industrial pollutants sterilized much of the population. After the revolution that brought about the Republic of Gilead, she was captured trying to slip across the border with her family. As a fertile woman, she was seen by the revolutionary Evangelical government as a vital resource, and was reeducated to become a Handmaid - a kind of sexual slave for the elite with Biblical justification (see Gen. 29: 41-35, 30: 1-24).She was assigned to the Commander Fred, which is why she received the name Offred (literally, of Fred, or owned by Fred ), whose babies she was designated to carry. At regular intervals, she had to undergo a humiliating sexual ritual involving the Commander and his wife, which was intended (although highly unlikely) to impregnate her. If she failed to become pregnant after a certain period of time, she would be reassigned and possibly executed. This threat led to illicit sexual activities with the Commander and with one of his servants, Nick, who claimed to be a member of the resistance.Offred's fate is learned in the epilogue to the book, _The Handmaid's Tale_. Show less «