Happy Endings Essay Questions

How does the theme of mortality manifest in "Happy Endings"?

Atwood depicts mortality as the ultimate end of every character regardless of leading a happy or bad relationship. She portrays the characters in different scenarios having both good and bad endings. For instance, in scenario B, Mary is deeply in love with John. However, John does not take her love towards him seriously because he secretly has an affair with Madge. When Mary realizes, she tries to commit suicide to attract the attention of John and make him confess his love for her but unfortunately, she dies. In scenario C, John and Madge are married but John and Mary are having an affair. Mary does not love John though, and instead loves James, who is often away riding his motorcycle. One day, John comes and finds Mary and James having sexual intercourse. John does not endure this and he decides to kill them. This repetition of characters' deaths connects to the narrator's concluding assertion that all stories actually have the same endings – characters die. It is not the ending, then, that is important when crafting a good story.

Why does Atwood repeat characters' names and particular words and phrases in each of the stories?

Readers will notice that many words, phrases, and concepts are repeated across stories in "Happy Endings." This repetition initially fosters confusion, as it appears that each story is simply a different time in the characters' lives. However, it quickly becomes clear that characters are not the same versions of themselves across the stories. This repetition, then, ultimately draws attention to the concept of the writing process, as a writer attempts to puzzle through what to do with certain characters. As such, the repetitive nature of "Happy Endings" emphasizes the changeability of fiction and the artifice involved in writing an interesting story.

What does the ultimate goal of "Happy Endings" seem to be?

It is easy to conclude that "Happy Endings" is a story about bad writing, bad plots, and failed fiction. However, the story presents an argument that is much more nuanced, instead suggesting that thinking about plot is only a first and rudimentary step of writing good fiction. Plots – and more specifically, endings – the story argues, are not as meaningful as elements like conflict, characterization, and making use of particularly enriching literary devices. Thus, while the story criticizes the notion that a happy ending makes a good story, it also encourages readers (and potential writers) to think about the other attributes necessary to write, and write well.