NOTE: This page is about the novel and film versions of the character. For the television series adaptation, see Fred Waterford.
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| “ | We thought we could do better. Better never means better for everyone. It always means worse, for some. | „ |
| ~ The Commander |
The Commander, possibly named Fred Waterford and named Fred in the film adaptation, is the main antagonist of the 1985 dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale and its 1990 film adaptation of the same name.
He is one of the Commander's of Gilead, being the husband of Serena Joy and the master of "Offred" a woman forced to be a "Handmaid" or in other words a breeding slave for him and his wife. Despite his role, he is shown to be manipulative beyond even the standard expectations of a Commander, trying to make the Handmaids in his household like him so he can feel powerful even if it means breaking the rules of Gilead.
In the 1990 film adaptation he was portrayed by Robert Duvall, who also played Lucky Ned Pepper in the 1969 True Grit film, Frank Burns in M*A*S*H, Tom Hagen in The Godfather franchise, Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now, Joseph Pulitzer in Newsies, and Roger Chillingworth in the 1995 film adaptation of The Scarlet Letter.
Personality[]
Being one of the Commander's in Gilead, the Commander is inherently a morally reprehensible individual, being at least partially responsible for the horrific conditions that the Handmaid's are subjected to. He repeatedly rapes Offred throughout the story, although he doesn't seem to enjoy doing so whenever it is during the ceremony. This isn't because he has standards against rape, rather her prefers for the Handmaid's to actually like him, which leads him to manipulate them by slightly breaking the rules to try and make himself seem favorable to the Handmaid's in his household. This type of manipulation is shown to have driven at least one woman to suicide, as his manipulative practices alongside his wife Serena's abuse led to the previous Offred hanging herself.
Offred notes several times that the Commander's true motivations are unclear, as he does several things that break the rules of Gilead, such as when he gives her a magazine or plays scrabble with her, despite women reading being against the law. There is some indication that he misses when women could have sex casually, but it's unclear whether it's because he disagrees with Gilead's policies or if instead its simply because he personally wants to have sex more often. The latter explanation is more likely based on the Commander taking Offred to Jezebel's, not just to show her off but also to show off to her the fact that he can break the rules so brazenly. Overall, it seems the Commander wants to exercise power over others and women in particular, but he doesn't necessarily fall in line with Gilead's ideals, as he is willing to break the rules set in place by the government in order to feel power over others as well.
Quotes[]
| “ | He manages to appear puzzled, as if he can’t quite remember how we all got in here. As if we are something he inherited, like a Victorian pump organ, and he hasn’t figured out what to do with us. | „ |
| ~ Offred explaining the Commander's disinterest in the ceremony. |
| “ | Sometimes after a few drinks he becomes silly, and cheats at Scrabble. He encourages me to do it too, and we take extra letters and make words with them that don’t exist, words like smurt and crup, giggling over them. | „ |
| ~ Offred talking about how she and the Commander would break Gilead's rules by playing scrabble. |
| “ | The Commander likes it when I distinguish myself, show precocity, like an attentive pet, prick-eared and eager to perform. | „ |
| ~ Offred's description of how the Commander sees her. |
| “ | You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs | „ |
| ~ The Commander's disturbing metaphor for the rise of Gilead. |
| “ | He is showing me off, to them, and they understand that… But also he is showing off to me. He is demonstrating, to me, his mastery of the world. He’s breaking the rules, under their noses, thumbing his nose at them, getting away with it. | „ |
| ~ Offred stating the reason for why the Commander brought her to Jezebel's. |
Trivia[]
- The Commander's name is never explicitly revealed in the original novel, although it is implied to be Fred. However, due to Offred being an unreliable narrator and her statement of using pseudonyms, it's possible that this isn't actually his name considering her name in Gilead may not have actually been Offred. That being said, both the film and television adaptations had the character's name be Fred.
- The fate of the Commander is not stated in the novel or shown in the film, however the novel's epilogue shows researchers theorize that the Commander was indeed Fred Waterford, and that he was executed in a Gilead purge due to housing an "undesirable" which was most likely Nick, a Guardian who was a secret member of Mayday.
External Links[]
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 Villains
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Republic of Gilead Wives Aunts Other | ||