CLASS

• Class is a recurring and important theme in The Handmaid’s Tale
• Citizens in Gilead are defined by their social class
• Factors contributing to a person’s class include gender, age, race, sexuality, status, and power
• Each class has different societal roles with implications for participation in society
• Class can be thought of as a person’s place in the social hierarchy, related to income and wealth
• Throughout history, there have traditionally been three levels of economic classes: lower, middle, and upper
• Intersectionality: themes like race and gender intersect with class in Gilead
• Intersectionality is about how different aspects of a person’s identity increase access to good things or exposure to bad things in life
• Gender affects a person’s class in The Handmaid’s Tale by determining their role and status in society
• Race, sexuality, and age can impact a person’s social class, increasing exposure to “the bad things in life”
• Karl Marx’s theory of class suggests class is determined by ownership of property and labor, with two main social classes: the proletariat and the bourgeoisie
• Proletariat are the working class, while bourgeoisie are higher classes who control the labor of the proletariat
• Class inequality in The Handmaid’s Tale demonstrates Karl Marx’s theory
• Max Weber’s theory of class includes an interplay between class, status, and power
• Class: a person’s wealth or economic position in society
• Status: the amount of respect a person or position is regarded by others
• Power: a person’s ability to get others to do what they want
• Weber’s theory fits the social roles in The Handmaid’s Tale better than a Marxist philosophy
• Class hierarchy in The Handmaid’s Tale is shaped by Gilead’s ideals
• Men typically have higher positions than women in Gilead due to patriarchy
• People who fit Gilead’s values have higher social status
• Commanders are the most powerful people and make up the highest class in Gilead
• Commanders have authority over the household and society, with benefits like privilege with food and luxury items
• Wives have considerable power and influence, in charge of household matters, but not as powerful as their husbands
• Wives have power over other classes like Marthas and Handmaids due to their social class
• Angels are high-ranking men serving as Gilead’s soldiers, guarding the Red Center and neutralizing rebel groups
• Angels may qualify for a Wife or Handmaid after serving Gilead, serving as status symbols
• Eyes are Gilead’s secret police, sometimes torturing and killing citizens suspected of subversive activities
• Some Eyes are informants, and they are all men in Gilead
• Guardians of the Faith in Gilead are guards and police who can also serve as personal bodyguards and servants for Commanders and Wives
• Guardians rank lower than other branches of Gilead’s armed forces
• Guardians can be promoted to Angels and have some privileges in society
• Nick is a Guardian suspected of being an Eye
• Aunts are older women responsible for indoctrinating Handmaids and enforcing Gilead’s rules
• Aunts preside over births, Salvagings, and Particicutions
• Aunts are the only women in Gilead allowed to read and write
• Childless or infertile older women can become Aunts to escape redundancy and being sent to the Colonies
• Marthas work in the houses of powerful people as servants, cooks, and housekeepers
• Marthas are viewed as lower class and serve higher-ranking people in society
• Marthas have certain freedoms such as baking, cooking, and socialising