Hierarchy (Continued)

(Continued discussion of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale pages 104 - 150, a sequence)

Despite this hierarchy, there is a huge interdependency within the house, which is not seen in a typical hierarchical system. Everyone relies on each other to fulfill their given duty so that the Handmaid can produce a healthy child. Without the Marthas keeping the house, the Guardians keeping the house safe, and the Wife acting as a disciplinarian as well as being there to assist the actual sex, the Commander and the Handmaid would not be able to reproduce.

There is also a huge reliance of the entire household on the Handmaid. Society relies on the Handmaid to produce children, because of the ever-pressing issue of being underpopulated. Additionally, everyone in the house depends on if the Handmaid can provide a healthy child in order to move up the social scale. In this way, there is a hierarchy within the hierarchy. Within your class, you move up and down in a way that determined by your Handmaid's child production. This was clear when Janine, the Handmaid who was pregnant at the time, walked around protected by two Guardians. Janine was given much more freedom once she was severely pregnant. She was also very envied by all the women - Wives, Handmaids, and Marthas alike - for her pregnancy. Wives who receive a healthy child from their Handmaids go up the ladder as well, because children are such rare occurrences and therefore heavily valued. It was also mentioned that Janine's Commander would receive a promotion because of his ability to impregnate someone with a healthy child.