Character Analysis
Professor Pieixoto is the keynote speaker at the end of the book, in the "Historical Notes" section. He gives a talk about the narrator's story, which he has transcribed and formatted into The Handmaid's Tale. Professor Pieixoto offers details about the origin of this text and its authenticity while lamenting how little can be learned about the narrator. He also offers possible identities for the Commander. He speaks with authority about Gilead as a historic period, but we learn very little about him.