A Reflection: “Happy Endings”

            In life, we would reach a point where we will get confused with love: how to choose the person to love, how to show your feelings, or even when to stop when things get worse. The story “Happy Endings” written by Margaret Atwood shows love in different situations but all of those situations had only one destination: death.

            “If you want a happy ending, try A.”, if life is as easy as what happened in situation A- where John and Mary met then married, bought a charming house, had children, grew old together then died- everyone would have been successful and happy. But it is not, like in situation B, it could be very complicated. John used Mary for his material and sexual needs. He disregarded that Mary did everything just to make him be impressed by her womanliness. He was dating Madge while he was making a fool out of Mary. When Mary found out, she committed suicide, and up until her last breath, she hoped that John would come and save her but he did not come. Mary died while John and Madge married, grew old together then died. This shows the cruel side of love, where everyone could be a victim.

            Situation C showcased another complicated side of love. John was married to Madge but he had a sexual affair with Mary, who was in love with James. One time, he saw Mary and James making out in Mary’s apartment and he immediately shot the two of them and himself. Madge, on the other hand, remarried to a guy named Fred. They bought a house by the seashore but there came a giant tidal wave. Luckily, both of them escaped. They had an ideal relationship and eventually, they die.

            The next situation, situation D, had a similarity with situation C but it focused on Fred’s bad heart and how kind and understanding they both are until he dies. After his death, Madge devoted herself to charity work until she died.

            In situation F, it gave the reader a time to imagine yet the writer, Margaret Atwood, emphasised that it will eventually end like in all of the earlier situations- all of them died..

            “The only authentic ending is the one provided here: John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die.” It just shows that whatever may happen, will happen, or simply happened, all of us will encounter death. This gets me confused with the title, “Happy Endings” but I think it is to allow readers a bit introspective. All of us may end the same, but what lies in between matters so make the most out of life.