Thesis Throughout the novel, The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood makes many connections to the destruction of individuality; The names of the characters, who live in a futuristic theocratic society, refer to the way an individual is stripped of the things that define them as who they are. Atwood's focus on these connections is intended to enhance readers' understanding of the novel and further reveal ……………………..ContextIn the novel The Handmaid's Tale, even the powerful live unfulfilling lives. However, handmaids have the worst situation, confined to one house and only allowed out on various occasions, such as the grocery store, during ceremonies involving sex, and executions. It's safe to say that handmaids have it worse than most. Being trapped by their low social status and having fertile bodies, these poor women are unable to live the happy life that most aspire to have. Having a fertile body forces them to donate to the “commanders” so that they can have children for other families, which is ultimately what limits them and deprives them of their freedom. When the handmaid becomes pregnant, if she does, the reward is not to be executed. But since they have the gift of being fertile, they have no reward because they have to stay in the commander's house and are forced to give birth. SettingThe setting takes place in the Republic of Gilead, what used to be a democratic government. been overthrown and replaced by a totalitarian one. A now alternative futuristic state. What makes the city of Gilead so terrifying to people is that it looks the same. Reminding them of the past, when freedom was not taken away. However this new futuristic society seems to permeate most of the psyche of each of us, “T... the medium of paper... beautiful as a flower cannot always hide the horrible way some things are. For Offred, stuck in this terrible place where almost everything has been taken away from her, it would almost be to add an insult to hide the horrible place she lives in now and the emptiness she feels now, “I wish this story were different. I wish it were more civilized. I wish it would show me in a better light” (267). It seems almost impossible for Offred to propose positive images, she tells the story as it is, without sugarcoating. Conclusion Dystopian societies can create terrifying and unexpected roles for people who become subservient within them. Women may serve different masters, and these masters may direct them differently than if they had full free will. These women have hopes and desires that are subjugated by the constructs of an environment beyond their control.