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Course Hero. "Happy Endings Study Guide." Course Hero. 20 Mar. 2020. Web. 11 Apr. 2021. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Happy-Endings/>.
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Bibliography
Course Hero. (2020, March 20). Happy Endings Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Happy-Endings/
In text
(Course Hero, 2020)
Bibliography
Course Hero. "Happy Endings Study Guide." March 20, 2020. Accessed April 11, 2021. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Happy-Endings/.
Footnote
Course Hero, "Happy Endings Study Guide," March 20, 2020, accessed April 11, 2021, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Happy-Endings/.
Margaret Atwood
1983
Short Story
Women's Studies
"Happy Endings" has a third-person omniscient narrator who occasionally addresses the reader directly in second-person narration.
The story "Happy Endings" is told in the present tense.
Near the conclusion of "Happy Endings," the narrator says there is only one real ending to the story: "John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die." This sentiment suggests "happy endings" occur only in fairy tales and not in real life. The happy ending typically associated with the genre of romance—blissful marriage—is a lie; in reality, sexual relationships are much more complex.
This study guide for Margaret Atwood's Happy Endings offers summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs.
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