Tuesday, September 6, 2011

The Handmaid's Tale 10

"'She hanged herself,' she says. 'After the Salvaging. She saw the van coming for her. It was better.'" (285)

The shock that hits the reader when Ofglen is replaced with a "new" Ofglen is sudden and unexpected. The reader also comes to dislike new Ofglen, as she's much more cautious than Offred is. The reader also begins to feel a sense of panic during some of new Ofglen and Offred's dialogue, as she's being sterile and even scolds Offred at one point. Atwood leads readers to believe that she's gone too far, and has been caught being foolish. This brief line, however, at the end of the chapter, changes everything about the scene. Not only is it a hint to the reader that a similar situation may be headed for Offred, but it also proves just how threatening something like a distinctive van can be.

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