Happy Endings Summary

In her short story “Happy Endings”, Margaret Atwood uses different literary techniques that can alter the interpretation of the story’s theme. The story starts off with a generic “fairy tale” ending in which a husband and a wife live a happy life together and eventually die. However, as the story progresses, Atwood’s style and tone makes the alternate scenarios of John and Mary give off a sense of uncertainty of what main ideas she is trying to convey. Good opening and thesis.

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 ends of the story are very different from each other in quite a few ways. Let just say there is a good ending in one story and a bad ending in another. Lets go deeper

The denouement occurs with each main character with their own page with a close up of their happy face and sunshine and flowers and colours with a happy connotation. The picture book closes with Mr. happy saying that he didn’t know such a place as Miseryland existed and little miss sunshine replying with ‘there isn’t!’

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

The ending of Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon is both satisfying and ambiguous. The last chapter manages to address everyone's story yet not in a cheesy or over explanatory way. In addition Toni Morrison leaves room for a reader to interpret certain parts of the ending. The array of different endings in Song of Solomon provides a depth to the story that enriches the emotions felt by the reader.

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

When a reader engages and indulges into a piece of writing that involves a love story, they wish and hope for it to be a “happily ever after.” Unfortunately, it is not always the case. Such as, in Romeo and Juliet ending with the death of the two lovers, or the Titanic ending in the death of the beloved Jack. In the Novel, 1984, by George Orwell, there is a similar tragic ending to a love story.

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 dilemma questions how a reader who dislikes happy endings can become so invested in a story that he ends up roots for the protagonists. If we examine this normally, there is a conflict of interests. How can he desire a happy ending if he despises them? However, if we follow Watson’s logic we can ignore the conflicts because “It is merely make-believe that the spectator sympathizes with the heroine and wants her to escape.

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”.

In the story "Happy Endings" the creator Margaret Atwood gives 6 situations in sequential request from A to F of how a couples life could play out finished the traverse of their lives. In these six situations Atwood utilizes parody to underline how exchangeable and straightforward each couples life is. In this story Atwood utilizes character, style, and perspective to berate the longing for the regular normal life and the worry for just the "whats" in life and not "how or why". The utilization of level characters in "Happy Endings" is one of the ways Atwood's mocking tone is particularly underlined. The main characters presented, Mary and John, are scarcely created and we just learn basic insights about their life that gives off an

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.