The Handmaid's Tale: Nick Blaine, International Man of Mystery
Margaret Atwood might have been a fiction writer, but she wasn't concerned with fantasies or intricate lies. There was no expectation of a happily ever after, no matter how much the fans needed it. She would have us trudge through these bleak, horrific circumstances until we were begging for relief--something normal and wholesome, a world where things worked out the way we were supposed to. We loved every second of it, but it was also a form of torment. How could we possibly get a glimpse into these worlds and live without a positive resolution? She didn't care. She was more concerned with realism and plausibility. If reality was broken beyond the point of no return, she wasn't going to put it back together. She was going to show us what that looked like, make sure we understood, and eventually--if it made sense, she might throw us a bone. Her original novel The Handmaid's Tale was the perfect example of this. She had us withstand solitary confinement in Offred's room, alone with her thoughts. When she did leave, her vision was cut off by her giant wings, designed to keep her from looking side to side. In that tiny space, we got a glimpse of true totalitarianism, guardians and aunts--the complete loss of all hope. There was no escape, just torture. It was a look into the daily life of a modern slave. Her existence was unbearable, and in many ways--though we relished every single word--the reading experience was just as difficult. We couldn't live without seeing Offred escape. She deserved freedom, justice, and relief, and we felt that succinctly. We also needed to see the fall of Gilead. Things needed to go back to the way they once were. But that's not the way the world works. Democracy is not the norm. It is rare, short-lived, and in many ways, inherently flawed. Totalitarianism was the norm. Harsh dictatorships tend to last. So instead of getting the ending we desperately needed, we saw the most likely scenario. Gilead endured. Offred's fate was left open. We learned that the cassette tapes she used to record the novel's contents were found in the safe house, but after that, things got a little blurry. She might have been raided and dragged back to the Commander's house. She could've been executed, or she may have escaped into Canada or the UK.