Wracked with remorse and guilt for the tale that she must finish, Offred admits returning to Nick on the sly, surreptitiously making love by the glare of a state searchlight. Careless of the danger that she courts, Offred talks freely to Nick about Moira and Ofglen, but never of Luke or the Handmaid who died in her room; nor does she talk of love, the bad luck word. On daily walks to market, Offred anticipates immediate conception, her mind long past Ofglen’s prattling about stealing papers from the Commander’s desk or arranging for an escape through underground connections. Offred, for the first time since the takeover in Gilead, is content. Tentatively, she concludes, “I have made a life for myself.”
A tolling bell summons all women to a Salvaging. Offred’s old hatred of Red Center indoctrination resurfaces, and she gags at seeing Aunt Lydia preside over the execution of two Handmaids and a Wife for an unspecified crime. The event concludes with an added attraction: the Handmaids encircle a Guardian found guilty of raping two women, one of whom was pregnant and who lost the baby as a result of the rapist’s brutality. The accused rapist tries to express innocence, but the Handmaids ignore his protestation and kick, jab, tear, and pummel him to death.
This eruption of beast-like violence affects all participants. Mentally unhinged, Janine clutches a tuft of blond hair and babbles innocuously, “You have a nice day.” Offred accuses Ofglen of barbarism; Ofglen counters, “They’re watching.” Returning to her room, Offred tries to comprehend her own active participation in the savage execution, a monstrous emotional release that leaves her famished.
That afternoon, Offred joins a new Ofglen. Cautiously, Offred tests the new girl for loyalty and seeks to extract information about the former Ofglen’s whereabouts and about Mayday. Offred fears that the former Ofglen may betray her to the authorities. In terror of harm to Luke, Moira, mother, or child, Offred knows that she would comply with interrogators, even if they aimed reprisals at her family. As Offred turns to go, the new Ofglen whispers, “She hanged herself. . . . She saw the van coming for her.”
Safe from potential betrayal, Offred embraces the Red Center’s teachings, thus capitulating to the insidious power of indoctrination and terrorism. At the steps of the Commander’s house, she confronts a new menace—Serena with cloak and sequined garment in hand. Serena grips her cane as she demands, “How could you be so vulgar?” Calmly entering the house by the kitchen door, Offred, basket in hand, ponders the reason for Serena’s anger and wonders if she really loves the Commander.
