The Handmaid's Tale Lesson Plan

Why does Offred say, “I feel, for the first time, their true power”?

For the first time, Offred genuinely wants to obliterate her identity, and become a vessel, which is what Gileadean society wants of Handmaids. Until that moment, she had clung to her individuality, and resisted Gilead in her mind. But when she feels terror for herself and those she cares about, she briefly gives in to their ideology. She wishes to be everything the Gileadean government wants her to be, so that she and her loved ones won't be hurt. This is the regime's true power: to make you want to be a true believer.

Is the last chapter in The Handmaid's Tale (before the historical notes)...