Themes and message

Expectations vs reality

The theme of expectations versus reality plays an important part in the short story “Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood. The story deals with the conflict between unrealistic expectations and reality, both in life and in fiction.

First of all, the title plays with the readers’ expectations, as it implies that the story – or stories – will end happily. The narrator explicitly tells the readers that, if they want a happy ending to John and Mary’s story, they should “try A” (p. 70). This makes the reader expect to find a happy ending in A, which essentially seems to be the case at first, as John and Mary both live happy and productive lives together. However, we notice that all endings lead to A, in the end, “however you slice it” (p. 72, l. 23). Meaning that, the only ending that is valid is the one where John and Mary die (p. 72, ll. 27-28). This subverts the expectation of a happy ending, si...