Are you struggling with an essay about a work of literature? This guide will get you started on the process of closely reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood by giving you strategies and ideas useful for secondary and post-secondary students. Included is a detailed act-by-act plot summary with analysis points, overviews of several schools literary theory, several angles through which analyze the novel and a brief list of littered terms appropriate for analyzing literature. You will learn how to develop a thesis or argument, to create substantial body paragraphs, and to correctly integrate your quotations and avoid plagiarism by using MLA formatting. You will end up with a killer essay.