Handmaids Tale
How does Margaret Atwood establish the setting in the first six chapters of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’? ... A comparison is then made with a ‘nunnery’, and in many ways the Handmaids may be compared with nuns, who have taken a vow of celibacy. Though not entirely the same, the Handmaids only take part in sexual intercourse as a commodity and take no pleasure or love from the act.The uniform of the Handmaids is then described and is also similar in style to that of a nun’s habit. ... This colour is described as to ‘define’ the Handmaids. ... The awkward situation that the Handmaids are in, and the way in which they are treated, becomes clearer as we find that Offred is allowed to ‘stand or kneel only’ when in the sitting room. ... ’ This is displayed together with the parody of a fairy-tale figure, as a resemblance is made with the character ‘Little Red Riding Hood’.