'Discuss Atwood's presentation of "Gilead in the first seventy-six" pages of the novel'

'The Handmaid's Tale' - Margaret Atwood 'Discuss Atwood's presentation of Gilead in the first seventy-six pages of the novel' The anti-utopian novel, 'The Handmaid's Tale' tells the futuristic story of Offred, a Handmaid of the oppressive Gileadean regime, a society governed by an elite and characterised by distorted language that refers to Biblical writings. The novel is set around the near-future repressive society of Gilead at war, blocking any form of external influence and using …

…comparison to those of which we live under today, arouses necessary consideration from the reader about the world we are living in. The presentation of Gilead itself within the first seventy-six pages of the novel, with its religious absolutist morality, violent approach towards rebels and absurdly oppressive limitations on people's lives in terms of independence, dress and food, is a warning from Atwood about the way in the world is pushing the boundaries of morality.