Social classes/Characters

Commander- These people are the weathy ones. They have all they need and they often get what they want. These men are the head of the household. They however do not do very much. They are given a Handmaid and Martha as a minimum. Their wives, the Wife, is in control of these maids and make sure they do as they are told. The commander's wife does rarely anything other than sit in her garden. Having a garden gives "something for them to order and maintain and care for" (Pg. 22)

Guard- These are just guards which were stationed at the training center outside the sleeping courters. They are not supposed to come in unless requested. 

Angle- This is another type of guard who stands outside of the buildings and guard the property. Each commander seems to have one as well as other servants who maintain their house, cars etc. 

Martha- This is the role which takes care of the house hold. Martha's cook, clean and do the laundry. They would be like a maid if we compare to todays' society. 

Handmaid- These are woman who are only here to reproduce. This system made sure that all woman who could reproduce, did it. They know who can reproduce by looking if they had a child in their previous years. Handmaid's also go shopping for groceries, this is also the only outside contact they get, aside from doctor visits once a month. Handmaid's have 3 chances to bare a child.

Eye- This is practically a spy for the government. An Eye blends in with the crowd making it harder for others to know when an Eye is present. An Eye is allowed to take action if he sees a woman doing anything out of order. An Eye can also be any of the guard positions as that is how they blend in. 

Offred once thought Nick, who works for her current Commander, was an Eye. 

Econowife- This is a housewife who carries both the Handmaid's role as well as the Martha's. These are the woman who have been given the luxury of the little freedom they are granted.

Aunts- These are the woman who train the girls in the training center.