Final answer:
The lack of real names for Handmaids in Gilead signifies the loss of individuality and identity, as well as the oppressive control by the totalitarian regime, emphasizing their reduced role to one of reproductive function.
Step-by-step explanation:
The significance of Handmaids not using real names in Gilead, as Atwood presents in The Handmaid's Tale, reflects the reduction of personal identity and the control of the totalitarian regime over individuals.
Handmaids are stripped of their previous identities and are given names that signify ownership, such as "Offred" which indicates that she is literally "of Fred," belonging to the commander Fred.
This is a deliberate act of oppression, as it erases any sense of individuality and personal history, reducing the person to a functional role within the society.
It reflects the larger theme in the novel of reducing women to their reproductive capacities and denying their autonomy.
Similar themes of naming and identity are seen in other literary examples where names are either withheld or changed to demonstrate control and loss of self.
For instance, in Susan Glaspell's play Trifles, women are referred to only by their husbands' names, hinting at the loss of their own identity upon marriage. Also, in the text about "a fugitive slave", the peril of proclaiming one's true name for safety reasons underlines the significance of names as markers of identity and freedom.