After reviewing some typical characteristics of a dystopian novel, we studied the first two chapters and identified events and behaviors that inform the reader that the characters are living in a dystopian world ,quite different from our lives here in the U.S. We identified the fear of outsiders, the absence of all wildlife and animals, and the use of punishment for apparently small infractions. We hypothesized what event might have occurred before the action of the novel opens to account for the creation of this type of society.