Do Happy Endings Exist?
The short story Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood is not just about a relationship with a happy ending, or an ending with tragedy. This story provides a perfect outline of life itself. No matter what happens in life, your life always ends in death. This story is based off of relationships, each relationship having a different story, but the same ending. The different relationships and stories help provide the details to support the ultimate message of this story.
This story is told with the same two main characters, John and Mary, but in different situations. Each different part of the story presents a new situation. Each new story brings a new plot. Each plot revolves around one single relationship. The story starts out with what one would call your fairytale kind of relationship, referred to as part A in the text. Everything is perfect, life is great, and they receive everything they have ever wanted. In the story John and Mary have their life as perfect as a life can get. It may even become sickening to readers. No matter how perfect their life is; in the end, they die. Even with death, the first situation is considered a happy ending. The narrator even states, John and Mary meet, What happens next, if you want a happy ending, try A (Atwood). Each story I believe provides a happy ending because it makes the realization of death more soothing. Stereotypically, everyone wants someone that they can live for, grow old with, and die next too. Death I believe is the symbol of a happy ending. Death is what makes a hard life come to an easy ending. If ones life is not considered happy in the beginning and in the middle then the death becomes the persons happy ending. It goes to show that death is what makes every story, no matter what the situation is, a happy ending.
In the each storyline every ending is presented with death. This is what led me to believe that no matter what happens every one dies. In relationship B, Mary dies shortly after she and John got married. In relationship C, they both die; John kills Mary, then himself. Relationship D and E, is about Johns mistress, Madge, finding a new man, Fred, and living happy with him. Then they both die just as in relationship A, Fred dies first, then Madge follows. In each of these relationships many problems occur, but thats what keeps the story going. The ending of death seems to solve these problems. Although problems occur it seems to me that without the problems the relationship would play out like it does in each individual storyline. Each problem, detail, and story does not represent the truth. As the narrator even states, The only authentic ending is the one provided here: John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die. (Atwood) This statement also provides evidence that in life no matter what, in the end everyone dies.
Looking at the story as a while allows the reader to see this bigger picture, that I have come to find. Each storyline has a part that is closely linked to the next plot. The same characters are used throughout, as stated before. Each scenario brings a different side of an individual character. A characters situation, age, and or importance may change throughout. I believe that keeping the same characters allows for the message to become clearer and helps focus on the main points. It also allows for the reader to not focus on the details but realize that that the endings are all clich. By keeping the same characters Atwood can show that a few minor changes can make a drastic change in ones life.
Not only is there a message behind the writers story but it also says something about her writing. I believe that the last full section, section F of her story explains everything.
So much for endings. Beginnings are always more fun. True connoisseurs, however, are known to favor the stretch in between, since it's the hardest to do anything with. (Atwood)
This story shows that no matter what in the end, in every story it is always the same old endings, with nonsense in between. Beginnings are more fun and interesting. The end of a story, for the most part, is usually predictable. This author I believe, for one, wants her work to be the complete opposite of predictable. Most of the stories written today are written as one detail right after the other. In other words one part leads to the next. I believe she thinks people need mystery and try to figure out how and why. Mystery I believe can come along with a story about death; this could be why she chooses to write about death. Death brings mystery. I believe this story highlights the authors writing perfectly. It provides clues and symbols to why she writes how she does.
This story can also be related to todays society. In todays society many do not like to see others succeed, people are found to be selfish, and doing what only benefits them. Mary and John, The characters in the story, are driven by lust, love, selfishness, and are always looking for something better. They seem to possess the idea that there is always something better, with the exception of relationship A. An example would be John finding a mistress because Mary is not good enough for his needs. No matter what the story though, they always have the same ending. The ending is idealistic to what comes at the end of life, death. The reader can always predict the middle, but the ending is often hard to predict. It is not that as an author Margaret Atwood is obsessed with death, It is the realistic ending that happens in life. Death is the relief to a life that nobody can be sure of, or find happiness in.
Not only does the authors writing of Happy Endings suggest the type of writing she is influences by but also I believe her background influences how she writes. In her writing, she states a reference about Canada, as shown in the quote.
If you think this is all too bourgeois, make John a revolutionary and Mary a counterespionage agent and see how far that gets you. Remember, this is Canada. You'll still end up with A, though in between you may get a lustful brawling saga of passionate involvement, a chronicle of our times, sort of. (Atwood)
Also found in her biography, it is said that most of her stories are inspired by myths and fairytales. (VanSpanckeren) I believe that both of her inspirations can be found throughout this story. The fairytale representation is present through wanting a Happy Ending, and the myths are present because each relationship shown in the story had a different ending. An ending were the reader has to figure out how and why. Most of her stories are also revolved around fiction and short stories, she participates in a distinct departure from traditional fiction and fictional traditions, using a series of mini stories to show the relevance of decent story telling (Verduyn 131). Margaret Atwood is a different kind of author, she believes in untraditionally stories that keep readers wondering how and why. She proves that most endings are clich, and its the middle of story that provides all the needed details. I believe that this story could have been better represented in todays age then it was in the era that it was written in. I believe that she wrote this novel for more than just entertainment purposes. I believe this story represents a life lesson; no matter what happens in life everyone dies. Life is too short to be in such a thing as an unhappy relationship. Overall life is too short to be unhappy, selfish, and settle for things that are less than what one deserves.
The story Happy Endings doesnt follow the storyline that one might think, because of the title. Behind this story is a meaning. The meaning of life, that in the end of life everyone dies, no matter what. The author displays this well within her story by explaining different relationships. Through different relationships and developing the true meaning, she shows a writing style that keeps the reader interested, and wanting to know whats next. She seems to believe in keeping the reader interested by letting them wonder what is going to happen next. To me, her stories not only have a fun beginning, but also an awesome ending.
Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. "Happy Endings" Murder in the Dark. 1983. Print. IPFW. Web. 18 May
2011.
Cooke, Nathalie. Margaret Atwood: A Critical Companion. Margaret Atwood. 2004. ABC CLIO
EBooks. Web. 31 May 2011.
VanSpanckeren, Kathryn. Margaret Atwood vision and forms. NetLibrary, Inc. Carbondale:
Southern Illinois University Press c1988. Web 30 May 2011.
Already have an account? Log In Now
4561