Unable to assess her situation, Offred faces a dilemma. Without Ofglen’s ties to Mayday and lacking the sympathy and assistance of Serena, Offred has little choice but to trust that the van that takes her away is truly part of a bogus arrest and that she is entering light rather than darkness. The ambiguity of this final view of Offred leaves many questions:
· Is she being rescued or betrayed?
· What is her destination?
· Is she pregnant with Nick’s child?
· Is Nick a member of the Eyes or a double agent for Mayday?
· Will Offred be reunited with any of her family, assuming that they are still alive?
· What is her real name?
The reader’s immersion at this point in the novel is what Aristotle refers to as “the willing suspension of disbelief,” a bonding with a fictional character who is so believable that he or she is perceived as real. So palpable are Offred’s humanity and need that her disappearance into the van suggests a kind of death, both physical and spiritual. So empty is her store of emotional strength that the reader must confront honest doubts that she survives the wiliness and duplicity of the Eyes of Gilead.
