This passage at the conclusion of the book seems to come out of nowhere and is shocking. Offred leaves the novel and the theme of this entire chapter see to be safety after acceptance. It’s surprising how Atwood uses a van to hint at us how Offred’s future is going to be. She completely abandons her audiences as much as she has been abandoned. The van that will take her away holds her future yet we and even Offred is unsure about what will happen to her. Atwood uses both “darkness” and “light” in the last sentence of the novel to create a contrast and this opens up the path to multiple possibilities of what could have happened to Offred. At the end, nothing mattered – late nights with the Commander, memorable moments with Nick, secret communication
