Summary

Lila's new life begins, and holding her son constantly while he is still small enough, she imagines what she will tell him when he is older. She hopes her husband will live to see their son grow into a fine boy, yet she knows that one day they will bury him beside his first family and wander for a while. Although she recognizes life in Gilead as a blessing, she cannot lean on it because she will have to live once this time ends. Talking to her husband, Lila confesses, "I can't love you as much as I love you. I can't feel as happy as I am" (page 255). Her present life is nothing like her past to which she may need to return someday. Reverend Ames regrets this but understands it. Lila now considers herself a Christian because she allowed her...