Twisted Words and Irony

In chapter 42 of the novel there is a woman's "salvaging". A salvaging is a large execution. They were held at Harvard in the yard. All women in Gilead had to attend. One wife and two handmaid's are hanged at this salvaging. in Gilead a woman was "salvaged" for three things: 1. killing a handmaid, 2. adultery, or 3. attempted escape. Handmaids were instructed to hold the long rope in the hanging almost as a representation of their acceptance to the salvaging. Offred is disturbed by the salvaging and rightfully so. It was such a cruel event that happened in Gilead.
It's interesting how the execution was called a "salvaging" because the word means "saving" which is not exactly what was going on here. could it be a saving to the society? what could the term saving have to do with "salvaging"? What were the women of Gilead being "saved" from? Another twisted word I came across was particicution. The word particicution was a twist of the words participation and execution which is similar to salvaging. This was carried out by a group. All the executions in Gilead were done in groups by the communities. This could have been done to show everyone what would happen if they decided to break the laws of Gilead. This Gileadean totalitarianism was both clever and gruesome. I believe the main function of these events was to provide an outlet for all the rage and hatred the Handmaid's built up towards the oppressive Gileadean men. In the novel during the particicution, the women of Gilead take out their anger towards a rapist and unify in the "participating execution". This allowed the women to channel their anger and may have been to prevent an upheaval in the handmaid community. Ironically this was done at Harvard symbolizing the freedom to pursue knowledge. However, as for where the salvaging was, it symbolizes the denial of access to knowledge. The novel shows many ironic and hidden messages if we look close enough to find them.