A Literary Analysis Of Happy Endings By Margaret Atwood

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.

On the other hand, postmodernism appears as well in Atwood's themes. In this particular story, it is possible to observe her reject for western value. For instance, in the first ending, the one which she says is the happy ending, includes a lot of the important capitalist western values such as remunerative job, real estate values, challenging sex life, vacations, etc. They may appear in the happy ending, but at the end she says they are all fake and she is being satirical. She critiques those elements of contemporary society. According to Charlotte Sturgess, Atwood often discusses about gender relations in her writings (95). In "Happy Endings", she portrays a few couples' lives and it seems like she wants to show equality between sexes. Each ending has a different type of woman. In ending F, "a chronicle or our times" as she suggests, Mary is a counterespionage agent, we are far away from the canadian stay-at-home mother of the previous century. The last theme is the meaninglessness of life encountered in each ending. Atwood speaks of the death of her characters as if they were only sleeping, as if it was nothing really important. "Eventually they die. This is the end of the story" (37) and "She hope he'll discover her […] but this fails and she dies" (38). At the end of the story, Atwood says: "The only authentic ending is the one provided here: John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die" (40). It

Atwood uses a sarcastic and satirical tone throughout her story “Happy Endings.” The scenarios present within the story portray different approaches in life. Atwood demonstrates the effectiveness of basic writing practises through her use of verbal irony to explain the characters’ lives. Through the story, Atwood does not fully develop the characters, there is very

Margaret Atwood's Happy Endings is a story that focuses on endings rather than symbols. While reading this story I was entertained and pleasantly surprised by the frankness shown by Margaret Atwood because I often find cliché happy endings boring and wish for more thought-provoking material. Happy Endings tells the life story of John and Mary, and also of Fred and Madge. Atwood starts the story off by giving the readers a choice of a happy ending, telling the reader to "try A," (page 67). Choice "A" has everything needed for a feel-good story: the happy marriage of John and Mary, their fulfilling jobs, their family, sex life, vacations and their hobbies; and ends with them eventually dying (page 68). Choice "B" is more complicated, and, in

The game almost over, several seconds left, score is equal and suddenly you receive the ball right under the basket, you are not the best player of the team but you won't miss for sure. Everyone's eyes on you. What would I feel in this situation? Opportunity? Chance? Responsibility? Blood pressure? Stress? Tension? Writing "Happy Endings", Atwood uses the standard plot, characterization and point of view to make the reader think nonstandard.

“And they live happily ever after”... We are all familiar with the phrase and have learned to expect the, often times, ‘cliche’ conclusion to a story or movie. Although the predictable endings to most folktales are generally happy, the plots and themes to the stories themselves often contain varied emotions and similarities to other works. Two stories that have relatable similarities between characters and their emotions are Hamlet by William Shakespeare and Cinderella, a fairytale.

From the start, Margaret Atwood’s story “Happy Endings” takes on a peculiar and informal story format. The oddly structured metafiction story takes the reader though several ending for a handful of characters and how their love unfolds after their meeting. While Atwood’s story pushes to break conventional norms for the format stories, it also dares to argue vast concepts about fairy tales and their possibility in the real world. Each of Atwood’s endings offers new circumstances for the characters of the story, but each of the miniature stories end the same way. As she brings her piece to an end, she offers the reader the idea that perhaps fairy tale endings are not possible in real life because the real world is plagued with human greed and

"Rape Fantasies" by Margaret Atwood is a comedic approach to a very serious, concerning topic. I believe what all of the fantasies discussed have in common is that the perpetrator seems to be mindless, sensitive, and easily manipulated to produce the outcome the fantasizer is desiring. Estelle also seems to be sympathetic towards her "rapists." I also noticed she seems to very degrading to herself and personal appearance of both her and the "rapists." For example, Atwood describes her rapist: "not only is he ugly, you know, with a sort of puffy nothing face, like those fellows you have to talk to in the bank when your accountʼs overdrawn—of course I donʼt mean theyʼre all like that—but heʼs absolutely covered in pimples" (Atwood). In some of

Happy Endings, by Margaret Atwood, is not in the traditional format as most short stories. Atwood wonderfully connects her characters to real human events. The love betrayed in the endings ranges from perfect relationship to the most realistic ending. Happy Endings explicitly shows how the characters go about their relationships and how the end. Atwood shows her creativity with how she went about setting up the story.

It is a common view that the opening and ending of a novel is considered the most memorable and pertinent. Therefore, both authors, Ishiguro and Atwood, utilise openings and endings in their novels significantly. The opening of a novel plays a major part in establishing the tone of what is to come, with the ending leaving a lasting, final impression on the reader. The security of the first person narration in Never Let Me Go encourages the reader to engage with Kathy H in order to destroy our relationship at the end. This disillusionment serves to anger the reader and fuel our sense of disappointment. Never Let Me Go ends in uncertainty as Kathy drives away still looking for Hailsham yet for the reader there is no uncertainty; we know

In the short story “Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood, there’s a lot more meaning the story that it’s not showing us. The story is a content of the ideal of love is the main message in all of the passages, they’re the same but with different people. Even though the stories are short, there’s only one meaning of the story being told. The three main messages of the stories that aren’t being taken away are: it’s easy to fall in love but it’s hard to stay in love, every story is different but it all ends the same.

I have recently finished reading a book titled, The End by Lemony Snicket. In The End, few inhabits of the island saw three kids and one adult crash-land on the island. The captured the adult and put him in a cage unfortunately but the three kids were left on the island, and those three kids were the Baudelaire orphans. The Baudelaire orphans were Violet, Klaus, and Sunny at ages 15, 12, and 1 respectively. They were originally on a boat heading in no specific direction, aimlessly sailing around the sea stuck on a boat with Count Olaf, who was repeatedly yelling he had triumphed and caught the Baudelaire’s in his clutches this time. They then shipwrecked on the island, where the Baudelaire orphans had to stay until the end of the book when

Conventional myth suggests the idea of life, love and a happy ending, usually includes getting an education, finding a mate, getting married and, preferably, a good job, having interesting hobbies, buying a house, having kids, retiring and heading off into the sunset. But what if convention isn’t the only way to a happy ending? Or what if the stereotypical idea of love isn’t so happy after all? In “Happy Endings”, Margaret Atwood describes the lives of Mary and John in six ways. The story of Mary and John is not only a typical romantic love story, it is a tale of two people involving rocky roads, conflicts, and love interests of more than two people. As portrayed by Atwood, the way love can be experienced so differently, yet ultimately end up in the same place goes to prove that there is seldom one way to achieve a happy ending. So, what does the narrator of “Happy Endings” tell the reader about happy endings?

While reading Rebecca, a wonderful novel, many people can interpret different themes for this book. As I read I thought this literary work can have many themes. However, the one theme that stuck out to me the most is that those who pass away will always leave behind memories, however these memories can disrupt and hinder other people’s lives. After finishing the book and looking at gothic elements that go with this book, I am deep-rooted with the fact that secondary character with a disability will offer words of unusual insight and truth, hero-villains who are haunted by the past, and individual character who see themselves at the mercy of the forces out of their control show that the memories of those who have passed can hinder and disrupt those who are living.

Some themes are more generalized than others, but the ones that involve the pursuit of happiness are very universal for literature. In the works “Hedda Gabler” by Henrik Ibsen, and “The Sun Also Rises” by Ernest Hemingway, there are many connections that can be made to compare the characters in each. Hedda Gabler and Brett Ashley are the most obvious pair, they share many traits as women in the spotlight. Although both Hedda Gabler and Brett Ashley endure a lot of attention from men, Hedda’s self serving nature reveals that to pursue happiness, manipulating others and causing drama may be necessary; whereas Brett’s disregard for how her actions affect others emphasizes that the road to happiness isn’t easy.