The Handmaid's Tale takes place in a city in what used to be in the United States, now called the Republic of Gilead. It is set in the future, where the United States democracy was overthrown and replaced by a totalitarian society. Gilian is without any freedom or choices. According to the novel, “Gilead is within you."
Atwood placed Gilead right outside of the Boston area. She purposely placed it in the United States because of the region's Puritan background and history of intolerance. She stated, “You often hear in North America, "It can't happen here," but it happened quite early on. The Puritans banished people who didn't agree with them, so we would be rather smug to assume that the seeds are not there. That's why I set the book in Cambridge.”
Critics describe Atwood as a feminist; however, she doesn’t label herself as one. Right as The Handmaid’s Tale was written, the second feminist movement wave was created. In this novel, women are only thought of for one, sole purpose: fertility. Women cannot vote, own land, have jobs, be literate, or do anything else that might allow them to become independent and possibly be seen as superior to their husbands or the state. Some say Atwood created her novel as a response to anti-feminist events that took place prior to the release of her book. Atwood may have written “The Handmaid’s Tale” to show her readers what a world in which women are powerless would be like—awful.
Atwood placed Gilead right outside of the Boston area. She purposely placed it in the United States because of the region's Puritan background and history of intolerance. She stated, “You often hear in North America, "It can't happen here," but it happened quite early on. The Puritans banished people who didn't agree with them, so we would be rather smug to assume that the seeds are not there. That's why I set the book in Cambridge.”
Critics describe Atwood as a feminist; however, she doesn’t label herself as one. Right as The Handmaid’s Tale was written, the second feminist movement wave was created. In this novel, women are only thought of for one, sole purpose: fertility. Women cannot vote, own land, have jobs, be literate, or do anything else that might allow them to become independent and possibly be seen as superior to their husbands or the state. Some say Atwood created her novel as a response to anti-feminist events that took place prior to the release of her book. Atwood may have written “The Handmaid’s Tale” to show her readers what a world in which women are powerless would be like—awful.