Response to Atwood’s “Happy Endings”

The story “Happy Endings” contains six different small stories from version A to version F. The protagonists in the stories are John and Mary, and other two characters are Madge and Fred. Four flat characters with four flat names, and they are repeated throughout the stories. All the six stories are described quickly and concisely, and are ended up with death. Besides, all the stories are closely related to the version A as “everything continues as in A”, which attracts me so much.

I think this is a good fiction because it makes my heart sink. There is a strong contrast between the title “Happy Ending” and the content of six stories. It seems that Atwood do not use any happy or optimistic words in the stories even in the version A. The endings are all the same, the death. “The only authentic ending is the one presented here: John and Mary dies. John and Mary die. John and Mary die.” The sentence actually delivers the deep meaning of the “happy endings”, which brutally reflects the result of people’s life: We will die eventually, whoever we are, whatever we have, however we live and wherever we are.

       In addition, I can feel a sense of gender inequality from six stories, especially the second story. Atwood use the tone of satire to express how women are vulnerable and stand in a low position in front of man. Although the stories have no specific descriptions, they make me have deep thoughts of the philosophy of the life.