In “The Handmaids Tale” by Margaret Atwood, we hear about a woman posting “Offred” to the Republic of Gilead. A society based on biblical philosophies as a means of validating the inhumane practices of the state. In a society where the birth rate is declining, fertile women are chosen to become servants, walking incubators, whose role in life is to reproduce for the commanders' infertile wives. Older women, gay men, and sterile servants are sent to the colonies to clean up toxic waste. Fear is power. Fear is omnipresent in Gilead; it is implemented by violence and force. It is through fear that the regime controls Gileadian society. There is no way Offred or the other handmaidens can avoid it. The corpses hanging on the wall are a relentless reminder of the consequences of rebellion and conflict. Abuse of power is also present in chapter fifteen after Moira tries to escape she is taken to the old science lab and gets her feet beaten with steel. frayed threads and is then left on her bed. “Moira was lying on her bed as an example. » (p. 102) She is an example of what rebellion leads to. Therefore, creating fear in the other maids. The handmaids are treated like cattle, the aunts use goads to gain power and assert their authority over the handmaids. The aunts have so much power over them that they are able to control them with just a whistle to kill someone in mass rescue operations. Salvages are another way to induce fear in order to gain more power over Handmaids. Handmaids wear cattle branding, a digital tattoo on the ankle comprising an eye and four numbers; prevents them from escaping. Offred refers to it as "An Upside Down Passport". (p. 75) this reference implies that there is no escape or way out of one's situation...... middle of paper ...... ng to begin as three stories are told; her time at the Red Center, the “time before” and her time as a Handmaid. Atwood continually uses flashbacks and often switches to the past, the distant past, and the present. The situation she describes in the first chapter gives us the impression that the story takes place in the distant future. However, as the story progresses, we learn that the time period is much closer than we originally anticipated. Offred continually involves the reader, she speaks directly to us and anticipates our response and even feels obliged to justify some of her actions. Atwood prepares us for the revelation in Historical Notes that Offred tells her story into a tape recorder. The story is open; We are not told what exactly happened to Offred, Atwood does this in order to have more impact on the reader.