The Handmaid’s Tail by Margaret Atwood

Oh My God! why the cliff hanger? I assume that the author wants us to come up with our own conclusion as to what happened with the characters. I guess the author wants us to believe that “Frederick R. Waterford” [306]  and his wife “Thelma” [309] were the people that Offred was talking about. That “Luke, Nick, Janine, and Moira” are “pseudonyms” [306]. All of this I get, and understand that this is part of the information that the author has chosen to give us, but why not tell us what happened to the narrator. Why leave up to us to contemplate what had happened to her.

I was sad when new Ofglen told Offred “She hanged herself” [285]. When Offred had asked about the old Ofglen. it was horrible to find out what “Salvaging” meant. They make announcements about salvaging the day before it happens. Offred said “It was announced yesterday. They tell you only the day before.” [272]. Also Offred made it clear that “This is a district Salvaging, for women only. Salvagings are always segregated” [272].  There were loop ropes in “front of the first row of cushions.” [272]. After reading this I figured that some one was going to be hanged and on page [273] Offred said that “two Handmaids, one Wife”. Which let us know that if a Handmaid or a wife going to be hanged they invite all of the females in the district to watch. If it was a Commander or a lower ranking man then they would have called all of the men in the district.

However, on page [278] There was a man that two of the Guardians dragged up in the circle of the Handmaids. Offred said ” Between them they half carry, half drag a third man. He too is in a Guardian’s uniform, but he has no hat on and the uniform is dirty and torn.”  Aunt Lydia said that he “has been convicted of rape..He has disgraced his uniform…His partner in viciousness has already been shot” [278]. It was even worst to find out that the “woman was pregnant and the baby died” [279].

I figured that this was a message to all of the women there, but mostly the Handmaids. Aunt Lydia wanted the Handmaids to finish beating that man to death even though he was clearly beaten and drugged. Then come to find out Ofglen said to Offred “Don’t be stupid. He wasn’t a rapist at all, he was a political” [280]. I believe that Aunt Lydia use that poor man to lore out the others who was a political like him. I think that when Ofglen rush to stomp him to death Aunt lydia knew she was one of the political.

I really was enjoying how the story was going, but when the black van came for Offred and Nick jumped out of the van to get her and used the the secret code “Mayday” and said “Go with them” [293] and she was lead out of the house, I thought by the next page it will speak on where they have taken her. But, no, It just went way into the future. Then we find out that she was making voice recordings of what had happen to her.

But, We are stuck with her leaving the house and we are forced to guess what else had happened to her. I assumed that she was freed for a little while in order for her to be able to record her life in Gilead on tape, but that is only an assumption. I believe that the author left the ending open like that so if she wants to, she can go back and write a sequel to the story.