Lila Dahl

Lila Dahl is the title character and protagonist of “Lila.” She is presumably an orphan who was abandoned at a house for migrant workers in the Midwest where she was neglected until Doll kidnapped her. Though her youth is challenging, Lila finds herself in Gilead where she is befriended and married by Reverend John Ames. They connect because both are lonely souls, but filled with shame of her past, Lila settles uneasily into her new life and often considers leaving Gilead. As the narrative alternates between the past and present, Lila's experiences as a child are shown as influences on her present through her inability to trust her husband, her constant thoughts of leaving him, and the shame she feels about herself and her life.

As a child, Lila lives in a Midwestern migrant workers home where she is neglected until Doll kidnaps her and flees to...