Freedom is a major theme in dystopian literature. The suppression of the human rights of the women in “The Handmaids Tale” by Margaret Atwood follows the Freedoms the woman both possess, and lack in their roles as handmaids in Gilead. The speakers of the quote are Offred and aunt Lydia. Offred is the novels narrator and protagonist; the person addressed was the reader as Offred recounts her thoughts on a conversation with aunt Lydia. The passage takes place early on in the story when two handmaids are on their way to the store. The protagonist is narrating her feelings of isolation and lack of attention towards them as the women walk the empty street, towards the store. An interesting criticism of the text is through a feminist perspective.
