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Jia Jia Cui

Dr. Robert. G. May

ENGL 100

18 October 2019

Inequality in social classes is becoming increasingly common. This has led to the creation

of stories concerning futures of oppression due to social classes. Margaret Atwood uses sects in

one of her feminist dystopian novels, portraying a world without respect, equality or freedom

towards women. Hence, the immoral representation of social classes in The Handmaid’s Tale by

Margaret Atwood shows how it can affect one’s life drastically through evidence of

unsatisfactory and disconsolate lives of the lower classes, contributing to a more realistic and

relatable experience for its readers.

Firstly, the women in the novel are immorally forced into their social classes, affecting

their opinions, individuality and moral rights. In general, all the women in Gilead are treated

unequally, and are thought to lack their own opinions. The Commander shows Offred an old

beauty magazine while saying, “Some of them were desperate, they starved themselves thin or

pumped their breasts full of silicone, had their noses cut off. Think of the human misery”

(Atwood 231). Men here think that women are one-dimensional, like those in fashion magazines.

Secondly, the women are forced into categories based on their roles. Offred describes that,

“There are other women with baskets, some in red, some in the dull green of the Marthas, some

in the striped dresses, red and blue and green and cheap and skimp, that mark the women of the

poorer men. Econowives, they’re called. These women are divided into functions” (Atwood 33-

34). All of them are colour-coded by their dresses, which strips away their individuality. These

gender-based social classes cause the Handmaids to be treated unfairly when compared to higher
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social divisions. During one of Offred’s flashbacks, she recalls Aunt Helena interrogating

Janine’s previous rape and abortion while asking, “But whose fault was it? ... Her fault, her fault,

her fault, we chant in unison. Who led them on? Aunt Helena beams, pleased with us. She did.

She did. She did” (Atwood 82). The Aunts make the other Handmaids blame Janine and

brainwash her, but they want them to think that women are the ones to blame, and should be

ashamed. In doing so, there will be a greater chance that they will internalize the Aunt’s lessons.

Therefore, by changing their opinions, individuality and moral rights, the women in The

Handmaid’s Tale are forcibly put into their social hierarchies.

Immoral representations of social classes are also shown through the lower class’

unsatisfactory lives. Women are treated inequitably, where they have no freedom over their

privacy, speech, rights nor any respect. The bodies of all women are just the ‘properties of men’.

They become dissatisfied with their current lives and become jealous of the lives of others (the

handmaids are ‘whores’ while the wives are living easy lives). During a teaching that Offred

recalls, she says that, “Women kneeling, sucking penises or guns, women tied up or chained or

with dog collars around their necks, women hanging from trees, or upside-down, naked, with

their legs held apart, women being raped, beaten up, killed” (Atwood 137). This suggests how

the Aunts want to convey that their new patriarchal society is better than the previous one

because it can protect women from violence and the pressure of being judged. However in

return, they must be raped and used by political leaders instead, losing control of their own

bodies. Secondly, these representations also leak through their poor mental wellbeing. Offred

observes that the windows only partly open and questions why the glass is shatter-proof,

concluding that, “It’s those other escapes, the ones you can open in yourself, given a cutting

edge” (Atwood 17-18). The people in the Commander’s house know about these different
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freedoms, so that is why she is forbidden from escaping, physically and mentally. Thirdly, these

lower classes exemplify a low satisfaction with their life conditions. Offred expresses her

desires, saying, “I want to be valued, in ways that I am not; I want to be more than valuable. I

repeat my former name; remind myself of what I once could do, how others saw me. I want to

steal something” (Atwood 108). This implies Offred’s need for a sense of love and self, longing

to be accepted for who she is. This prompts her desire to steal, so that she could remind herself

of her importance and capabilities. Therefore, the dissatisfaction of the lower classes displays

how unethical the social classes are.

Overall, the representation of these social classes provides a more realistic experience

for the readers, which could be relative to the real world. Firstly, Atwood gives hope to the

handmaids and gives them something to believe in, no matter what. Offred says, “I believe in the

resistance as I believe there can be no light without shadow; or rather, no shadow unless there is

also light” (Atwood 134). Offred knows that there is a resistance, and that good and bad coexist.

The readers are also provided hope to stay motivated for a better future. Furthermore, Atwood

excels at capturing the character’s feelings within the story, emphasizing the influential social

hierarchies. Offred hesitates and decides not to speak, saying, “And if I talk to him, I’ll say

something wrong, give something away… I don’t want him to know too much” (Atwood 195).

Offred worries that she will give herself away despite wanting to put herself out there, knowing

the inevitable dangers of revealing her individuality. Lastly, these social class issues could be

applied to real world issues happening today. The lack of respect for women can be found almost

everywhere, and also connects to many other gender equality matters found in the real world. For

example, a big misuse of information is the Christian religious fundamentalism that is used by

the Aunts to brainwash the Handmaids. Aunt Lydia repeatedly states: “Blessed are the meek”
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intentionally excluding the rest of the Bible phrase: “for they shall inherit the earth” (Atwood

74). She uses what would benefit her and the government and neglects the rest. Similarly, there

are people in reality, such as the people against homosexuality, who manipulate the Bible to

satisfy their own beliefs. Therefore, the capturing of emotions, hope and connection to real world

problems help to make this story more accurate and relevant for its readers.

In conclusion, the unjust demonstration of social hierarchy in The Handmaid’s Tale is

enhanced by Atwood’s description of the effects it has on one’s life and the dissatisfactory lower

class. In turn, it provides an enriched and applicable experience, where one could learn deeper

lessons and pay attention to currently occurring world issues.

Works Cited

Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. Vintage Classics, 2010.