<P> The novel is set in an indeterminate future , speculated to be around the year 2005 , with a fundamentalist theonomy ruling the territory of what had been the United States but is now the Republic of Gilead . Individuals are segregated by categories and dressed according to their social functions . The complex sumptuary laws ( dress codes ) play a key role in imposing social control within the new society and serve to distinguish people by sex , occupation , and caste . </P>
<P> The novel is set in an indeterminate future , speculated to be around the year 2005 , with a fundamentalist theonomy ruling the territory of what had been the United States but is now the Republic of Gilead . Individuals are segregated by categories and dressed according to their social functions . The complex sumptuary laws ( dress codes ) play a key role in imposing social control within the new society and serve to distinguish people by sex , occupation , and caste . </P>
what year does the handmaid 's tale take place
what year does the handmaid 's tale take place
around the year 2005
around the year 2005