Hierarchy

It becomes obvious from the beginning that there is a hierarchy within The Handmaid's Tale. Among the men, the Commander is the most powerful and most important role that we, as readers, are currently aware of. Everyone who is not a commander is owned by the Commander. Following this, there are Angels and then Guardians. Among the women, Commander's Wives are the most powerful. The Handmaids are next in the hierarchy, followed by Marthas. There are also Aunts, who, like Angels, do not exactly fit in the same hierarchy. And below everyone in importance and power are the Unwomen.

This is all true, on the basic level. However, as one reads on, one realizes the complexity of the hierarchy that is not initially apparent. For one thing, there is a difference between the hierarchy of power and the hierarchy of importance. In terms of power, the Commander and his Wife stand at the top, ignoring, of course, people within the government that have not been introduced to the reader. However, the Handmaid is by far the most important role in society - more powerful, I would say, than the government itself, because she provides society with offspring, which is the more valuable than anything in this underpopulated world. The Commander is the second most important role, because he is the only male allowed to impregnate women, and so he is, obviously, also required to provide children.

The Wife is next important, because she is married to the Commander and is still fertile. The Handmaid's importance and the Wife's power are illustrated by the placement of the Commander's Wife on the Birthing Stool when Janine was giving birth. The wife sits "behind and above Janine" (135). This represents all Wives relationships with their Handmaids. They are behind their Handmaid in importance to society, but they are above in the power that they hold. During the birthing, "Janine is framed by her [Wife]," showing that Janine is so important that she is framed, but also that the Wife is so powerful she circles around the Handmaid and could close in on her at any moment (135).

Everyone else contributes to the population through their aiding of the Commander, his Wife, and his Handmaid. All classes are centered around making these three roles as comfortable as possible and making it more possible for them to conceive, as this is the most essential piece of their society, what everything is based on.