UGH! Why would Margaret willingly choose to end the book like that?! So I just finished The Handmaid's Tale and wow I am upset. If you have not read the book, there will be spoilers so proceed with caution!
I loved the way the book ended...or at least until I turned the page to discover more. The final chapter ends with Offred being taken by the Eyes, who could either be the real deal or from the resistance - no one knows. What a great ending, right? Or at least until I turned the page to find an epilogue. In the "Historical Notes" section, it is 2195 and there is a transcribed lecture on the Republic of Gilead. In this speech, it is revealed that Offred recorded the entire story on a set of tapes. Although her future remains unknown, we find out that Gilead had eventually fallen.
This completely ruins, at least for me, the progression of the story. The book was written to illustrate the status of women in Gilead, which is almost an extreme exaggeration of society today. However, I grew to care for Offred as the story goes along, and almost live with her as she faced challenges. The book is written extremely well, as I found myself engulfed in it and feeling the emotions that she felt. And when the final page ends, the feeling left is utter desperation and longing to know what happens. This is perfect. This is how the book should have ended.
But the author decided to keep going. She chose to time jump into the future, after the fall of Gilead, to provide us with no information on Offred. We, the readers, learn nothing about what happens to her, so what is the point? Although we find out that the republic no longer stands, this takes away from the confusion that plagues the reader at the end of the actual story, and its only purpose seems to be to provide catharsis, but that is the opposite of what the reader should get. As the reader become Offred throughout the novel, the two should stay bonded at the end, rather than Offred having one destiny while the reader essentially lives on until 2195.
At the end of the final chapter, Offred is taken by the Eyes, who could either be from the actual government, meaning she gets tortured, or the resistance, meaning she gets freed. The reader never finds out, and leaving the reader in this desperate feeling at the end fulfils the intended theme of the book, while jumping ahead into the future but still not revealing her fate does not leave a feeling as extreme as the original.
The final flaw with the epilogue is that it reveals that Gilead eventually falls. But this takes away from, at least in my view, the entire point of the book. The book depicts an indestructible society that cannot possibly be overthrown and has absolute control on its citizens. It is this society that forces women into submission and prevents them from escaping their terrible situations. This entire society is an exaggeration of today's society, in which men are far more privileged and valued than women, and there seems to be almost no way to achieve absolute equality between the sexes. By creating the all-powerful government of Gilead, the author is exemplifying the system that oppresses women and demonstrates the lack of hope they have. However, by saying that this system fails, she is taking away from the structure that the entire book set up by providing hope. This goes agisnt the whole mood and many themes in the book, and ultimately leaves the reader with a much lighter mindset after finishing the book than the reader would have been left with if it had ended on the final chapter.
So basically, if you ever read The Handmaid's Tale, it is best to stop when the book should have ended: the final chapter.
I loved the way the book ended...or at least until I turned the page to discover more. The final chapter ends with Offred being taken by the Eyes, who could either be the real deal or from the resistance - no one knows. What a great ending, right? Or at least until I turned the page to find an epilogue. In the "Historical Notes" section, it is 2195 and there is a transcribed lecture on the Republic of Gilead. In this speech, it is revealed that Offred recorded the entire story on a set of tapes. Although her future remains unknown, we find out that Gilead had eventually fallen.
This completely ruins, at least for me, the progression of the story. The book was written to illustrate the status of women in Gilead, which is almost an extreme exaggeration of society today. However, I grew to care for Offred as the story goes along, and almost live with her as she faced challenges. The book is written extremely well, as I found myself engulfed in it and feeling the emotions that she felt. And when the final page ends, the feeling left is utter desperation and longing to know what happens. This is perfect. This is how the book should have ended.
But the author decided to keep going. She chose to time jump into the future, after the fall of Gilead, to provide us with no information on Offred. We, the readers, learn nothing about what happens to her, so what is the point? Although we find out that the republic no longer stands, this takes away from the confusion that plagues the reader at the end of the actual story, and its only purpose seems to be to provide catharsis, but that is the opposite of what the reader should get. As the reader become Offred throughout the novel, the two should stay bonded at the end, rather than Offred having one destiny while the reader essentially lives on until 2195.
At the end of the final chapter, Offred is taken by the Eyes, who could either be from the actual government, meaning she gets tortured, or the resistance, meaning she gets freed. The reader never finds out, and leaving the reader in this desperate feeling at the end fulfils the intended theme of the book, while jumping ahead into the future but still not revealing her fate does not leave a feeling as extreme as the original.
The final flaw with the epilogue is that it reveals that Gilead eventually falls. But this takes away from, at least in my view, the entire point of the book. The book depicts an indestructible society that cannot possibly be overthrown and has absolute control on its citizens. It is this society that forces women into submission and prevents them from escaping their terrible situations. This entire society is an exaggeration of today's society, in which men are far more privileged and valued than women, and there seems to be almost no way to achieve absolute equality between the sexes. By creating the all-powerful government of Gilead, the author is exemplifying the system that oppresses women and demonstrates the lack of hope they have. However, by saying that this system fails, she is taking away from the structure that the entire book set up by providing hope. This goes agisnt the whole mood and many themes in the book, and ultimately leaves the reader with a much lighter mindset after finishing the book than the reader would have been left with if it had ended on the final chapter.
So basically, if you ever read The Handmaid's Tale, it is best to stop when the book should have ended: the final chapter.