Happy Endings Symbolism

In Happy Endings, the main characters are John, Mary,Fred and Madge. Since the story is divided into six stories, the reader sees each character evolve when put in a different setting with the same or different partners. To get a better understanding of each character,the reader needs to break down each story and the literary devices used. In story A, one gets a feel of John and Mary as a married couple. The narrator includes details of John 's and Mary 's jobs, house, financial status, children and even their love life; however, details about the two characters are nowhere to be found. All adjectives used including " charming house"(Atwood paragraph 2),"stimulating and challenging sex life"(Atwood 2),"worthwhile friends"(Atwood paragraph 2) make it clear that the characters seem happy, but the author gives no details about the characters themselves. The characters are flat and static as they are stereotypes and are not fully developed. The story comes to an end with the characters retiring, having hobbies which are "stimulating and challenging"(Atwood paragraph 2), then dying.The repetition of these adjectives emphasizes how ordinary each character really is. The only thing established …show more content…
Likewise, we are told John 's feelings toward Mary, his marital standing as well as his financial standing. Unlike story B, Mary is the dominant character. She knowingly takes advantage of a married man who is in love with her and sleeps with him to let time pass until James comes back. In the story, we are also told that the reason she is not with James is because he wants to be free and she wants to settle down.She is a round and dynamic character who is dominant in what she wants, James was a free spirited 22-year-old with a "fabulous record collection"(Atwood paragraph 4) who was not ready to settle down. After a period of mourning, Mary and Fred get married and live happily ever