Aunt Lydia

Aunt Lydia is one of three main characters in The Testaments. She is the de facto leader of the Aunts, the unmarried women in charge of disciplining Handmaids, performing executions and supervising the births in Gilead. Coming from a lower-class background, Lydia worked hard to put herself through law school, and became a successful lawyer and later a judge, though she also worked as a schoolteacher. In her former life she appeared to have an interest in social justice, as she volunteered at a rape crisis centre, and worked on cases in her practice that involved women's issues. When she was captured by the Sons of Jacob, she was essentially given a choice: either to be executed among with the other professional women, or join and obey the new order.

Due to her cunning and rational nature, Aunt Lydia managed to place herself in the highest position...