Abstract: In this story, John and Mary meet. The story then goes on to say what will happen to them if you want a happy ending. The story is divided into 6 different parts or scenarios. In A, John and Mary fall in love and get married. They have children and good jobs. Their life is nice, and then they die. In B, Mary falls in love, but John does not fall in love with Mary. John just wants Mary for sex. Mary becomes depressed. When she learns that John took another lady, Madge, to a restaurant, this depresses her even more because he never took her to restaurant. Mary then kills herself in hopes that John will save her, but he doesn't. John and Madge then get married and live their life like in A. In C, John is a older man and he loves Mary who just feels sorry for him. Mary is in love with James who is her age but not ready to settle down. John is married though. When he finds Mary and James together he becomes depressed. He then shoots them and himself. Madge, John's wife, then mourns him and marries Fred, and they live their life like in A. In D, Fred and Madge have no problems. Their life is nice, but their house by the sea gets hit by a tidal wave. A lot of people died, but they survived and continued their life like in A. In E, Fred has a bad heart. Then both are very kind and nice until Fred dies. Madge then volunteers for charities. In F, it says how you could change the characters and what they do, but the story would still end the same. It says the only true ending is John and Mary die.
Response: This story was very interesting. I like it and the format of it. The characters have no personalities though they just have their names. Atwood didn't really describe them. You just learn more about them through their actions. I think Atwood wanted this story to be very plain and simple, and she wanted to show that no matter what you say the people's characteristics or the different plots and twists of the story, the story always end the same. Either the story ends with a fake happy ending, or it ends with the characters dying which would be more true because it is a fact that everyone will die. She also writes how the beginnings and middle are always more fun because you get to change different things, but the ending aren't because they die or it's a fake happy ending. She is not just relating this story to writing but also to life. No one wants to talk about the end of life because it is depressing and every end is the same because everyone dies. Mary also changes in each ending. In B, she kills herself and feels sad for herself and is a pushover. In C, she feels sorry for John and is more confident and in control. The author also tells how it is not the what that makes the story, but the why and how because that is all that matters. If there is no how or why, then the story means nothing. The story also makes you think about your life. What do you want to do to make the middle of your 'story' exciting? In the end, the only thing that matters are the middle and the beginning and how you lived your life because by the end the only thing left will be the memory of what you did.
No comments:
Post a Comment