The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

Throughout the course of history, people have observed a wide variety of social class breakdowns. Often formed by differences in socioeconomic status, social classes have been integral in the diversification of one culture from another, be it for better or for worse. While some nations have their hierarchy established by bloodline and relationships, others base social status on jobs, and few divide the general population based on gender. The social classes within communities serve as a double-edged sword. Although social classes, when well-balanced, may provide political stability to a nation due to traditions and norms, when poorly kept, social classes can be a source for violence and issue. Many authors throughout history have explored the

In The Handmaid’s Tale, the social breakdown of the society is a piecewise social ladder built upon gender and wealth differences. First, the population as a whole is split into two distinct groupings by gender, with males being superior to females. The nation in which The Handmaid’s Tale is set places an exorbitant amount of emphasis on the fertility of women in order to breed a healthy and thriving population filled with favorable genes. In order to “protect” the “fragility” of women, males predominantly make up the power-holding positions within the society, be they in vending, medicine, government, media etc., whereas the females are condemned to the stereotypical household requirements. The social breakdown further continues amongst the two aforementioned subdivisions (by gender) into more of a common social class ladder based on the monetary niches in which a member of society fills. Most specifically, the female sector is broken into four different subsections: Wives, Handmaids, Marthas, and Econowives, in descending order. Unlike in history where groups of women, despite the social class, have banned together to rise up against the patriarchy, the distinct social classes within the female sub-demographic of the population help to highlight how the lack of cohesivity between a group can prohibit social progress for that subjugated