Margaret Atwood Happy Endings

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Happy Endings

In Margaret Atwood’s Happy Endings, the main characters, John and Mary lives are explored through many different scenarios that include their lifestyles, lust, and love. In each scenario, the writers placed the same characters throughput each setting but with a different plot. In scenario A, Atwood describes to the reader a perfect couple who fall in love and get married, they have children and live happily together this is the beginning of the "happy ending." This first scenario is wonderful, but I feel like the author wanted to make it dull at the same time. Atwood is able to create scenario A as an unimaginative situation. She is trying to connect the reader with these characters, but in the first scenario there is very little that we know about the couples lives. The only information we have on John and Mary is that their children turn out well and they are devoted to them, they go on vacation together, they have an interest in the same hobbies and they retire. When she uses the term “stimulating …show more content…

Scenario D is not as dramatic and is shorter compared to the previous versions. The reader can’t really relate to this version of the story. The fourth scenario picks up with Madge and Fred’s story after they get married. This couple has no problems and the get along great together. The have a happy ending except for when there house by the seashore is hit by a huge tidal wave. Fortunately, this couple is successful in escaping the tidal wave, sadly thousands of people drowned, Madge and Fred continue their lives as described in A. This was neither a happy ending nor terrible ending it was safe to say that their outcomes were better than some. In scenario E, Fred ends up dying from a bad heart and Madge is devoted to charity work until the end of A, again this isn’t a terrible ending as the

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