Elizabeth In The Handmaid's Tale
She is a woman that is revealed throughout the story as the care-taker of Elizabeth’s husband in Peking, China. Elizabeth considers herself as Gerald’s American wife while Mei-lan is his Chinese wife. Another word that may describe her which Elizabeth prefers not to use is a concubine. Mei-lan is very kind and considerate to Gerald, even loving him as if they were married. She also respects Elizabeth, looking up to her as a model-wife and elder sister. When she is first introduced, she writes to formally request for support from Elizabeth to become Gerald’s wife-in-absence as per request of Gerald. Mei-lan is overjoyed when Elizabeth gives her full support to her request. As she continues to communicate with Elizabeth, she tells Elizabeth