Set in what resembled Cambridge, Massachusetts, although never specifically identified as such. The women of this new world were subjected to severe and often harsh treatment. Their every move and interaction was controlled. They were separated, or classified, based on what they brought to the new government. Women capable of reproducing were assigned to the homes of the upper elite to reproduce for them. Women who were elderly, frail, or who could no longer bear children were sent to live a terrible life or killed. This new world, especially for women, was depressing, dark and dangerous. Even for the men, especially the taller ones, everything was without excitement and was very routine. They often took risky risks to gain some personal freedom. All the people of the Republic of Gilead were not free to have normal relationships. There were no marriages, no families to raise their children, and no loving relationships. All healthy children born to handmaids were given to commanders and their wives to be raised as their own. Point of View The point of view of this story was in the first person narrator. This was done by Offred, a handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. He tells the story both in the present and by returning to the past in flashbacks to a life he had before Gilead. Much of his storytelling was done emotionally, influenced by memories of a happier past. The reader was only given his or her point of view on the location, setting, and characters of the story. This leaves the reader knowing only things at his or her level.