Now out of All Flesh, Offred and Ofglen will begin their journey home. They have a choice between two routes, which both lead to the same place—their captivity. (Recall from Ch 2 the dusty, pink runner in the hall outside her room.) We are reminded of their lack of freedom often, even the lack of freedom to view the world around them. With their blinders, they can “only see in gasps.” In these gasps, they see “headless sheep” in the clouds (30). Knowing that Atwood doesn’t loosely use images, it’s obvious the headless sheep (white in color) probably foreshadows something to come. Ofglen chooses the long way home (as they both always do). Ofglen does so this time in order to pass by a two-centuries-old church. Along the way, Offred reminds the reader there are paths the Handmaids aren’t allowed to take, like the one down to the river. She remembers the river and all that surrounds it in beautiful imagery, probably more beautiful than it actually ever was. Just as with the headless sheep, we get another grotesque image but...