Precisely, she spots John with another woman in a restaurant. Therefore, despite the fact that death is a crucial part of the plot, the cause of Mary's death, for instance, unlike in Scenario A, results from a crisis. By so doing, the author makes use of the complications that accumulate in their relationship, as opposed to Scenario A, to represent the dysfunction and how pathetic their relationship is. For instance, the characters of both John and Mary are symbolically represented by their actions or how they behave towards each other. This is evidenced by the fact that, unlike in scenario A, the author introduces more complications in the plot, Scenario B. Based on this context, it is evident that the second scenario, B, symbolically represents the complete opposite of a happy ending in real life. In this scenario, the author makes use of animal symbols such as a pig, dog, and a rat, as names that Mary's friends use to describe John. In this regard, it is evident that the author offers Plot A as the ideal symbol, or the stereotypical, cliched happy ending, in real life.īesides, in plot B, Atwood presents two characters, Mary, a loving woman and John, an insensitive male who never realizes Mary's love for him. This is excellently evidenced in the first scenario, A, where John meets Mary and they both live a perfect life that is inclusive of successes in their jobs, children, and most importantly, devotedly living together until they die (Atwood). Ideally, Atwood makes use of the six scenarios, A to F, to symbolize the various things that human beings go through in life. They both have sex and then die.Save 25% The Symbolism of Scenarios A and B in Margaret Atwood's "Happy Endings"įirstly, metaphors are primarily defined as things used especially in literary works to represent or act as symbols that stand for something else (Marugina 112). She is taken to a restaurant and eventually, they get married. Madge In B, Madge is John's love interest. He wants to be free while he's still young. He isn't ready to settle down and prefers to ride his motorcycle. James He is a twenty-two-year-old whom Mary has feelings for. In C, she is a twenty-two-year old who is in love with James. In B, Mary is in love with John but is saddened with the fact that he doesn't love her. In A, she is happily married to John and had children with him. Mary She is the main character of the short story. One day he sees Mary with another man and shoots both of them before shooting himself. In C, he is a middle-aged man married to Madge but is in love with twenty-two-year-old Mary. He eventually takes a woman named Madge to a restaurant. In B, he doesn't feel the same way Mary does for him as he only uses her for her body. In A, he is in love with Mary and is happily married to her. Writing it gave me a sense of furtive glee, like scribbling anonymously on a wall with no one looking.lt was a little disappointing to learn that other people had a name for such aberrations, and had already made up the rules." Characters John He is one of the main characters of the short story. lt was not quite a condensation, a commentary, a questionnaire, and it missed being a parable, a proverb, a paradox. lt was not a poem, a short story, or a prose poem. This gives readers six scenarios, and one ending.Ītwood has spoken on the story saying, "l did not know what sort of creature it was. Though the story boasts multiple scenarios, Atwood declares in her writing the only "authentic ending" is the one where John and Mary die. In addition, the story explores themes of domesticity, welfare, and success. "everything continues as in A"), challenging narrative literary conventions. The names of characters recur throughout the stories and the stories reference each other (e.g. The short story includes six different stories, labeled A to F, which each quickly summarize the lives of its characters, eventually culminating in death. It was first published in a 1983 Canadian collection, Murder in the Dark, and highlighted during the nomination period for the 2017/2018 Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize. "Happy Endings" is a short story by Margaret Atwood. Short story by Margaret Atwood "Happy Endings"
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