The Handmaid's Tale , a fictional novel by Margaret Atwood  takes place in the near future where the national government has been over thrown by the Christian theocracy. Offred , the protagonist in the story line aka a handmaid  is stripped of her freedom and forced to take care of the elite couples needs.  Handmaids are chosen by commanders and then given there name such as Fred for Offred. "My name isn't Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it's forbidden" as she says this the readers can conclude that these women are treated unfairly. they are stripped of their rights and basically treated as no more but a peasant. Offred often from time to time remembers life when she says "i remember the smell of nail polish the way it wrinkled if you put the second coat on to soon"(29) this portrays how her life wasn't always as restricted and she wasn't forced to do as commanded also how she had the rights to go out and cut off from the outside world. As Offred occasionally has flash backs of her past years she remembered when her aunt would tell her about men "god made them that way but he did not make you that way"(45) and how they are made by to crave women, and it is her job to set the boundaries and restrictions. Whereas to now where she is forced or not allowed to marry unless granted permission by the commander, although through her hardship Offreds primary purpose is to nurture her future kids in to soldiers or her daughters to maids. the novel continues as Offred moves up from her current position and is starting to miss the freedom she once had.