The social structure of nearly all communities from the 1600's to the present have been headed by a wealthy or ruling class. Many practices and institutions within the society exist to ensure that the ruling class retains its power, often marginalizing other groups in the process. This dis-empowerment can be achieved through religious beleafs and the denial of education, (as the whites did to blacks in the America during the 1600's to early 1900's) the …
showed first 75 words of 2101 total

showed last 75 words of 2101 total
…they live does too. Denial of information and education keeps disempowered groups ignorant, and therefore easy to manipulate and control. Denying the Handmaids and others in Gileadean society the right to speak to each other freely isolates them within the group, not enabling them to band together against the repressive hegemony. All of these mechanisms and practices marginalize the lowest groups, especially the Handmaids, thereby consolidating power in the hands of the Gileadean military elite.