Margret Atwood creates a dystopian world where a totalitarian theocracy has been instilled. Her portrayal of this society is very different from other dystopian novels because the ruling power is still taking its position as the almighty commanding force. Many authors write as if the government and society have been set up for years and have been working perfectly until the protagonist comes along. Atwood writes with the society still in the transition phase, making the believability of the novel more real because change is all around us today. With technology constantly updating, the possibility of extreme regression is possible. She almost gives the reader a fear of the future because the characters remember what life was like before the change and free they were.
The author gives the reader a method of escape with May Day because they are the rebellious group trying to overthrow the society of Commanders and handmaids. The handmaids struggle for any little intelligence or knowledge not controlled by the government. This gives them hope that freedom is possible. Yet, with the society still in the transition phase and not yet complete, the reader questions the power of an omniscient, all controlling entity because there seems to be no way out. What little rebellion there is, it appears to be controlled and condoned by the government. This overlooking of uprisings allows the society to send a message by crushing any rebellion that gets started.
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