Literary Techniques and Narrative Structure
Both novels use the epistolary format toldthroughletters/documents which creates questions about reliability. Frankenstein uses letters from Walton, whilst The Handmaid's Tale includes historical notes that suggest Offred's story might be reconstructed testimony.
The unreliable narrator technique appears in both texts, making you question what's actually true. However, Walton's witness account of the creature in Frankenstein makes that narrative slightly more credible than Offred's isolated perspective.
Doubles and foils feature heavily in The Handmaid's Tale. The previous Offred serves as a warning of Offred's likely fate, whilst characters like Janine, Ofglen, and Moira represent different possible outcomes for women who resist or comply.
💡 Quick Tip: When analysing these texts, focus on how the narrative structure itself reinforces the themes of control and truth.