Atwood Happy Endings Essay

In “Happy Endings,” Margaret Atwood manipulates literary techniques to emphasize how each story can have different plots yet end up with the same ending. She makes the case that, in every ending, the characters finish having a happy ending and “eventually they die” (paragraph 4). She infers that it is the contents between the beginning, and the end that bring interest and challenge to the characters, while the beginnings are more fun. The “true connoisseurs” is an important element because it is what makes up the plot (paragraph 21). The six scenarios of “Happy Endings” introduce differences in the beginning and the middle of the plot but result in the same ending. The plot in each scenario focuses on the significance of understanding how

The example shown is able to prove that in the story Atwood’s personal views will affect the way the story is written and told. Overall, as shown in the story, Verna has had issues with her past husband showing a sense of revenge when she talks about him and how she felt, thus leading to emptiness and tiredness when thinking of these hard times. This sense of emptiness is the ending result of getting revenge. When Verna was assaulted by Bob when she was younger she remembers: '"it does leave an empty space, doesn’t it?' Bob says. 'A sort of blank.' Verna admits that it does.'" This example comes from when Verna was young and assaulted by her later admirer, Bob. Bob and Verna talk about how revenge will lead to emptiness later in life. Not only in “Stone Mattress,” but in Atwood's’ other stories she has the same central theme of needing revenge. Along with this work several of her other writing pieces are, “steeped in primal themes: the hero's journey, revenge, betrayal, gallantry, the outcast, the tragic” (Weller). Not to mention her most common themes all have to do with damage done to a character based on her themes of betrayal, tragedy, and most importantly revenge. Lastly, Atwood is able to use her point of view in her stories to bring out the most important and prominent themes that she is trying to reach.

Women are taught from a young age that marriage is the end all be all in happiness, in the short story “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin and the drama “Poof!” by Lynn Nottage, we learn that it is not always the case. Mrs. Mallard from “The Story of an Hour” and Loureen from “Poof!” are different characteristically, story-wise, and time-wise, but share a similar plight. Two women tied down to men whom they no longer love and a life they no longer feel is theirs. Unlike widows in happy marriages Loureen and Mrs., Mallard discover newfound freedom in their respective husband’s deaths. Both stories explore stereotypical housewives who serve their husbands with un-stereotypical reactions to their husband’s deaths.

Endings are needed to keep life moving forward. The end helps one with dedication, interpretation, and expectation. As Alexander Graham Bell once said “as one door closes another one

At the end, the characters accept their motives, ambitions, hopes and fears which determine their actions

In the short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” by Joyce Carol Oates shows the readers similarities to the epic tails of the past. It is to be expected that with the similarities between the story and the epics, that the story does not always end up in just the way the reader thinks they might. Most of today's readers want an ending in which the heroine of the story Connie, ends up getting what she deserves in just about everything. But, looking back to the epic tails almost nothing ever ends in the way the characters deserve to happen. The characters are put through hardships, trails, tribulations, and failings to show that the character is indeed just merely human. However, the journey in which Joyce Carol Oates takes Connie

Story A of Happy Endings, is the ultimate story of love. Everything is smooth throughout the whole story and both characters are happy and live happy lives. We as the readers find out that John and Mary go on “fun vacations” and that their children “turn out well”. This is by far my most favorite story out of all six. I find it interesting and funny that Atwood uses

Happy Endings is an oddly structured, metafictional story; a series of possible scenarios all leading the characters to the same ending. Atwood uses humour and practical wisdom to critique both romantic fiction and contemporary society, and to make the point that it is not the end that is important, it is the journey that truly matters in both life and writing.

One can suggest that Atwood has demonstrated a light and informal tone. The poem is more informal in its writing, leaning more towards intimate entertainment. In her writing, the author is able to capture the attention of her readers by giving real-life situations that one may relate to.

At the same time a complicated plot can confuse the reader at the first sight. There is no strong and endless plot line, as it was already mentioned. The author shows just A-story, then B-story and so on. Another thing that confuses greatly is that the author finishes all the parts of the story, which are supposed to have a happy ending, referring to paragraph A. In paragraph B it sounds like ."..and everything continues as in A (70)." Then, in paragraph C it is ."..and everything continues as in A, but under different names (70)," in paragraph D one is ."..and continue as in A (70)." It creates an effect of having a couple of different stories which are ending with an A-story, of course. Why is Margaret Atwood doing it? Does she still have a story?

In the story “Happy Endings” the author Margaret Atwood gives 6 scenarios in alphabetical order from A to F of how a couples life could play out over the span of their lives. In these six scenarios Atwood uses satire to emphasize how interchangeable and simple each couples life is. In this story Atwood uses character, style, and point of view to chastise the desire for the everyday common life and the concern for only the “whats” in life and not “how or why”.

The idea of a happy ending, to the common person, is the cliche ending of a story in which the protagonist gets the damsel, saves the world, and survives near death. However, this is a very simple way to look at the concept of a “happy ending” and neglects the grand scheme of things, just as there are more complicated equations in mathematics as one progresses in school, there are more complicated elements in a story as we look to dig deeper into literature. A story that has a complex happy ending is Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the story of a man seeking revenge on his family that has caused him much despair. If we look at this play in a simple manner, we will probably not look at the ending as happy ending as our beloved characters die,

Arguments for the position held by Atwood with respect to the perfect ending to a work of fiction can be drawn from the societal relationships such as marriages and romantic affairs. These relationships are perceived as beautiful and comes with a form of fulfillment, thus should have a beautiful ending. Life should be easy and relationships should be successful. The ‘happy ending’ adopted by Atwood is an illustration of how easy life should be and how successful relationships such as marriages should turn out. She

I like to read stories that have good endings, but some of the finest lessons we can learn come from stories with unhappy endings.

Margaret Atwood begins her story B of her “Happy Endings” with the paragraph above, and the description of the John and Mary’s relationship determines their sad endings in the future.