handmids tale
Through a close examination of language, structure and style, explore how Atwood introduces you to the world of the Handmaid in the first six chapters of the novel. From the beginning of the novel the idea of a dystopian society and dystopian world is introduced. As we are barely introduced to the character of the handmaid we can see from the constant reference to the “time before” that she misses it, and that it is not long passed. This is made apparent by her feelings of the music “The music lingered.” Also visible in the first chapter is the savage strictness of the Handmaid’s world – the use of cattleprods to handle the handmaids and the description of how they communicate with each other in secret.