Compare the use of setting by Attwood in The Handmaid's Tale and Orwell in 1984.

Both "The Handmaid's Tale" and "1984" are dystopian novels set in the near-future. The characters in each novel are subject to extreme supervision and control by the governments in power. However, these governments take different forms: Orwell's Oceania is an autocracy, whereas Atwood's Gilead is a theocracy, with its values stemming from religious thought. This can be seen in the use of religious imagery, not least due to the shop called "Milk and Honey" and the "Rachel and Leah Centre" where the handmaids are 'taught.' Where the focus in Gilead is on religious allusion, Orwell's depiction of a decrepit London features names related to war victories and success. Therefore, whilst both societies subject their citizens to intensive surveillance, they have vastly different ideological bases for doing so.