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Class Structure and Hierarchy in Gilead
508
Class Structure and Hierarchy in Gilead
The Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood
Authorial Intent
- prove that a true utopia is impossible
Upper Class
- reveals the judgements made in the creation of a rigid class structure
Commanders and Wives
- As a whole this group indicates an unstable foundation for society to build upon
- Examples of rebellion include:
-Commander's relationship with Offred and trip to Jezebel's
- this situation in Gilead can be compared to today's world
- Serena's use of black market commodities and her use of Nick
"Maybe none of this is about control. Maybe it isn't really about who can own whom, who can do what to whom and get away with it, even as far as death... Maybe it's about who can do what to whom and be forgiven for it. Never tell me it amounts to the same thing."
p.135
Connections to Today
- the novel is used to make commentary on our society
- these events provide background on human nature
"Don't let the bastards grind you down. I repeat this to myself but it conveys nothing. You might as well say, don't let there be air; or don't be. I suppose you could say that."
p. 291
-every situation in the book is based on something in history
Middle Class
Aunts and Handmaids
-shows how systematic oppression leads to internalized oppression
-Offred's internal thoughts give insight to the role that Handmaids play in the society
- Community events and dehumanization references represent the control placed on middle class lives
There are other women with baskets, some in red, some in the dull green of the Marthas, some in the stripped dressed, red and blue and green and cheap and skimpy, that mark the women of the poorer men. Econowives they're called. These women are not divided into functions. They have to do everything; if they can."
page 24
Lower Class
Marthas, Econowives, Unwomen
represent the reverence of authority
members of this group are not even recognized as part of the society
show mistreatment by upper class members
overall treatment of these groups is poor and shows lack of care