"The Handmaid's Tale" is a dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, originally published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England, in a totalitarian state resembling a theonomy that overthrows the United States government. The novel focuses on the journey of the handmaid Offred. Her name derives from the possessive form "of Fred"; handmaids are forbidden to use their birth names and must use names derivative of those of the male, or master, whom they serve. "The Handmaid's Tale" explores themes of women in subjugation in a patriarchal society and the various means by which these women attempt to gain individuality and independence.

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