Happy Endings

'Till Death Do Us Part

It is a classic story tale fantasy that we all grew up believing in--boy meets girl, they fall in love, and the rest is history. Margaret Atwood's "Happy Endings" quickly shatters that fantasy and turns it into a reality that cannot be ignored. Atwood tells several tales of different types of relationships; the beautiful, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. Atwood hits on the nail when she says, "So much for endings. Beginnings are always more fun".

In "Happy Endings", the reader can basically create the story they like, although the ending will always remain the same. The story is about John and Mary, and a few unwelcome characters--who are envisioned as the perfect romance.

Throughout the different types of relationships that we see between the different scenarios between John and Mary are the true hardships of reality. In "A", we read about John and Mary, who fall in love and live happily ever after--the fantasy that we all wish was a reality, but just does not seem to be. As children and adolescents, we viewed love as Atwood described "A" as the perfect love. It as if Atwood is telling the story as we develop and learn about relationships and love, and the first stage of love is pure oblivion to the reality of it all.

The second kind of relationship that Atwood describes in "B" is John using Mary for his own 'selfish pleasure and ego gratification'. This is describing the relationship I would like to call 'wanting what you can't have'. Although Mary is quite aware that John does desire her romantically, she cares what he thinks and spoils him with her lust, affection, and attention,

hoping that one day John would realize how great of a woman he has in his reach and is letting go. Sadly, Mary's fantasy is crushed when she finds out John is secretly, I am assuming, falling in love with a woman named Madge, who he takes to a restaurant, which hurts Mary because John had never done that for her. Mary's spirit is shattered and although she has been blatantly deceived by the man she desires, she decides to end her life over a worthless man, and yet still hopes that he will realize how special this woman is and save her life. John is blind as a bat and misses his chance for undying love for a woman named Madge, who will probably never love him like Mary did. Atwood depicts the way that love affects us, even if its not reciprocated.

"C" is what I would like to call 'cowardice'. John, an older man, is married to a woman named Madge, which he has 2 children with. John is in love with a 22 year old woman named Mary, who does not love John in return. Neither John and Mary are committed to one-another, but for a reason not mentioned, they still see eachother on the side. John is married to a woman he will not leave, and Mary is infatuated with a man named James, yet still finds it in her heart to give John his happiness. This story is about cowardice because neither John or Mary confessed their real feelings, which ultimately resulted in John's suicide. If John or Mary followed their hearts and true emotions and were not so focused on the possible hurting of someone's feelings, John would probably still be alive.

"D" is an unrealistic story that is similar to "A". It was not until I read another reader's point of view until I got a better understanding and appreciated this story. Erica Davis states that the story is stating that even though a relationship may be conflict free, it does not mean that your life outside of the relationship does not struggle (Davis). Before I read Davis's point of view, I thought that most people wish they could live a wealthy life with no worries, like that in "D". This story made me roll my eyes, because the unlikelihood of it all made me sick to your stomach.

The tale of Fred and Madge in "E" is confusing and blunt. Fred has a bad heart and dies, and Madge devotes the rest of her life to charity work, perhaps to help heal the pain, and forward

her happiness on to others. This story is realistic