The story teaches us about the art of storytelling. “Happy Endings” is broken down to 6 sub-stories. Story A with nothing amazing but explaining that the two characters have a regular life. Each story after this one gives the reader more and more drama than the story before it. The more drama which is added the more the reader is actually drawn into the story. How a person actually got to the place will draw a reader into a story. Why that person did what they did will intrigue the audience more than stating “this person did this.” Who that character is as a person will connect people to that character than an underdeveloped character. The ending of the story explains this when she wrote: “Now try How and Why.” How a person got to the place they are at is one of the most important factors in a story. Story A begins by stating
John and Mary fall in love and get married. They both have worthwhile and remunerative jobs which they find stimulating and challenging. They buy a charming house. Real estate values go up. Eventually, when they can afford live-in help, they have two children, to whom they are devoted. The children turn out well. (Atwood 1)
The readers will not be drawn into a story if the story does not explain the “How.” How did John and Mary fall in love. How were their jobs stimulating and challenging. Readers want the “How” to be explained. People will not be invested into a storyline if it is as bland as this. One of my favorite tv shows to watch is
The denouement occurs with each main character with their own page with a close up of their happy face and sunshine and flowers and colours with a happy connotation. The picture book closes with Mr. happy saying that he didn’t know such a place as Miseryland existed and little miss sunshine replying with ‘there isn’t!’
From a surface level, Atwood parodies the unrealistic simplicity that fairytale-like stories present. As children, readers are accustomed to stories with happy endings; two people fall in love, any problems are solved, and all of the loose ends are tied up in the end. As these readers become adults, however, they realize that life is not
Readers should become immersed into a narrative that grabs their attention with intrinsic interest, denoting a higher level of meaning for the reader. A well-written story should start with a dramatic opening that hooks us into the story
The life they lived in was like a maze. The characters were trapped in the life and world they were living in and when they feel like they need to escape, they have to find the smoothest path possible, but it might take a few tries to find the path that will lead them to the key of happiness. Throughout the maze, they were able to encounter some other themes along the way. They learned that life isn’t all fun and games and sometimes situations need to be handled seriously. Also, if they want something to change, they will have to push the limits.
Her mother asked her why, and then said she didn't need it". She soon came to realize that covering her face with a new layer, was something she didn't approve. All she wanted was the acceptance from others and she had received it over her years. 2. Explain how the writer uses a story to explain what they believe.
“Happy Endings” is a very different short story, from the way it is physically presented to the way it reads. It does not even look like a story. The story structure looks more like an outline than a story itself. The characters are like cutout dolls than developed characters. This short narrative has six stories in one, in which
Ofelia Zepeda offers an intimate account of the Sonora people, which relies on the narrative of a family interaction. She also emphasizes the vicarious learning occurred within the home. Meanwhile, Wendy Rose presents an open-ended quest to revive the progressively losing Hopi 's history, stressing the need to proselytize or propagate the Native American 's history outside the boundary of the family. Therefore, both poems diverge in the imagery used to validate their messages.
I ended up choosing “Happy Endings” for my essay because its odd layout had challenged me. It made me want to decode it and find out what was really being told through the words. This story by Margaret Atwood is like nothing else I have read before. Atwood herself even refers to it as a “mutation” of sorts, saying it’s a mixture of multiple different genres of literature. She even took joy in writing in this new way, acting as if she liked to puzzle her readers. Atwood even goes to say, “Writing it gave me a sense of furtive glee, like scribbling anonymously on a wall with no one looking,” (Characters 95).
Happy Endings, by Margaret Atwood, is not in the traditional format as most short stories. Atwood wonderfully connects her characters to real human events. The love betrayed in the endings ranges from perfect relationship to the most realistic ending. Happy Endings explicitly shows how the characters go about their relationships and how the end. Atwood shows her creativity with how she went about setting up the story.
Many people tell stories to inform others about themselves. Throughout my life people in my family have told me many stories, and behind each story there is a purpose. The stories I was told growing up were about experiences that people in my family have had or things that I have done. These stories mean a lot to me because through these stories different family members reveal many things about themselves. They want me to understand their ideas, beliefs, or feelings about a certain subject. They want people to praise or admire what they have done or accomplished. Funny stories are told to humor or embarrass someone, usually me. Other stories express that we are not alone in the world, and there are other people,
In the short story “Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood, there’s a lot more meaning the story that it’s not showing us. The story is a content of the ideal of love is the main message in all of the passages, they’re the same but with different people. Even though the stories are short, there’s only one meaning of the story being told. The three main messages of the stories that aren’t being taken away are: it’s easy to fall in love but it’s hard to stay in love, every story is different but it all ends the same.
It leaves off with the couple not knowing how they can make their relationship work. It ends with a question. Leaving the reader to wonder what will happen next and almost forcing the reader to make up their own ending to the story. This is another relation to the real world where everyone is left wondering what will happen next. Just like I make up my own ending to this story, I can make up an ending to my own story. Planning out what I will do in my life, every event and every outcome, but it changes every day. Every day there is another experience to add to the collection changing what the outcome might
Furthermore, storytelling becomes a form of physical and psychological torture that the characters try to escape. There are two perspectives that torture illustrates in the plays. Torture as a form of storytelling is sharing the stories, but also how stories are told. The Pillowman forms storytelling as torture when the Tupolski and Ariel interrogate Katurian to expose his identity through his stories. The push of storytelling as torture becomes a central focus when the use of language and words direct a physical and psychological control against the characters. Therefore, storytelling illustrates a form of brainwashing. In addition, Katurian uses storytelling to comfort for his brother Michal, but the stories are used against him when
“Why did I do it? I could have avoided this whole situation!” Sushi cried. As she strugglingly swam away from the shark, however, I am getting ahead of myself, aren’t I. Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales from the view of a pilgrim journeying with many other travelers who all had tales to tell. I believe that the stories told by the characters in Chaucer's book gives us insight into the individual spinning the tale as well as Chaucer as the inventor of these characters and author of their stories. There are three main characters whose stories I will be using as examples: The Knight's Tale, The Miller's Tale, and The Wife of Bath's Tale.