A Literary Analysis of Margaret Atwood's Happy Endings
English 102
Natalie O’Heir
March 10th, 2014
Kelly Scott
Literary Analysis
Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood
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”. The use of flat characters in “Happy Endings” is one of the ways Atwood’s satirical tone is especially emphasized. The first characters introduced, Mary and John, are barely developed and we only learn simple details about their life that appears to be happy and comfortable. For example, we learn that they both have jobs but not what they do for these jobs. The narrator describes them as “worth while and remunerative jobs, which they find stimulating and challenging.” We also learn that they continue to enjoy their lives but are still not given any exciting details. For example, all the important aspects of their life are described by the narrator as “they buy a charming house”, “when they can afford live in help, they have two children. They turn out well.” “They go on vacations together. They retire” , “They both have hobbies they find stimulating and challenging.” Atwood uses this lack of detail to emphasize how flat and dull the characters are, building the idea that the main desire in life is focused on the “whats”. Throughout the different scenarios Atwood continues to use the writing style of repetition to make the point that the root of each story is the same. For example, almost everything in the characters lives throughout the six scenarios are described as “stimulating and challenging”, all the houses in the story are described as “charming”, and the real estate market is always
Natalie O’Heir
March 10th, 2014
Kelly Scott
Literary Analysis
Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood
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”. The use of flat characters in “Happy Endings” is one of the ways Atwood’s satirical tone is especially emphasized. The first characters introduced, Mary and John, are barely developed and we only learn simple details about their life that appears to be happy and comfortable. For example, we learn that they both have jobs but not what they do for these jobs. The narrator describes them as “worth while and remunerative jobs, which they find stimulating and challenging.” We also learn that they continue to enjoy their lives but are still not given any exciting details. For example, all the important aspects of their life are described by the narrator as “they buy a charming house”, “when they can afford live in help, they have two children. They turn out well.” “They go on vacations together. They retire” , “They both have hobbies they find stimulating and challenging.” Atwood uses this lack of detail to emphasize how flat and dull the characters are, building the idea that the main desire in life is focused on the “whats”. Throughout the different scenarios Atwood continues to use the writing style of repetition to make the point that the root of each story is the same. For example, almost everything in the characters lives throughout the six scenarios are described as “stimulating and challenging”, all the houses in the story are described as “charming”, and the real estate market is always