Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood is a story that fails to conform to the traditional short stories. Atwood writes the story in a unique and compelling way to reflect her cynical attitude towards the insignificance of life because she does not place emphasis on the events leading to death. It is obvious that Atwood holds the notion that life should be the simple means to a happy end. Throughout the story, Atwood employs the Marxist literary lens in her themes to make her point clear. The Marxist theory analyzes the social realities that condition the works of art. Therefore, class status, gender, ideology, and economic conditions form the basis of archetypal Marxist thinking as illustrated by Atwood in Happy Endings.
The Marxist perspective is evident through commoditization. The phrase “They buy a charming, Real estate value goes up” demonstrates that the value of the house is more important than its utility. Moreover, this materialism is noticeable when Atwood declares that James impresses Mary because he owns a motorcycle and a fabulous record collection (Atwood 217). Marxism assumes that reality is more material than spiritual, and the proof of this can be found in Mary’s attraction to James due to the materials he owns and not his persona or characteristics. Hence, it is obvious that the society held the notion that the economic and marriage stability had a connection.
According to Atwood, the only authentic end is death. Therefore, Mary and John die (Atwood 219). In story (A), the Marxism ideology of power resting with the society is manifested. Indeed, this shows the inherent power of literature and art in that they can revolutionize the society. Another idea supported in the story is that individuals must get married to accomplish a good life. By following in love and getting married, John and Mary seem to fulfill that communal obligation (Atwood 216). It is apparent that Atwood wrote the story at the beginning of the Feminist Movement, and she wanted men and women to question their roles in society.
In story (B), the power rests with the man. John is in an unhappy marriage, and he uses Mary, who goes out of her way to please him because she believes he will marry her. John’s domination is obvious from sexually exploiting Mary to showing his lack of appreciation for the tasks she performs to keep him happy (Atwood 216). Ultimately, Mary loses her self-worth and turns to suicide as the way out hoping that John would save her. Unfortunately, she dies, and John does not show any remorse. The illustration above demonstrates some Marxist aspects like false consciousness, reflectionism, and superstructure. The false consciousness is evident as Mary’s determination to get married makes her forgive John for all his mistakes. It shows the extremes to which women in that era would go to conform to the social norms such as getting married and raising a family. When John marries Madge, and everything continues as in scenario (A), life goes on (Atwood 217). In this light, the story illustrates the idea of a superstructure that supports and encourages marriage as a means of survival.
The Story (C) reflects the society at the time where the younger woman tempts the older man (Atwood 217). John’s love towards Mary is sincere, but she is frivolous and uses sex as a destructive force just as John in story (B). However, John is committed to his wife, which shows the social expectations of the time. John believes that staying with Madge and cheating on her is better than ending the marriage. It reflects the society’s perception of marriage at the time where divorce and separation were unimaginable and individuals had to stick together no matter the consequences. Moreover, story (D) shows that Madge moves on by getting married again to a man named Fred after John’s suicide. This move emphasizes the societal notion that marriage ensures survival . Atwood affirms that Madge and Fred overcome all the hardships together, which is an indirect implication that she would not have survived on her own. Atwood asserts that Madge and Fred overcome the floods and emerge “wet and dripping and grateful, and continue as in (A) (Atwood 217-8).”
Atwood seems to criticize the role of women as inferior beings who must sacrifice themselves for the men either in lust or in pity. Women often fall prey to male control and dominance because society believes they are not able to make decisions on their own. Overall, Happy Endings reflects the societal expectations of the time. The values held by the society were changing, and the concepts of equality between the men and women were taking root albeit at a slow pace. The societal inequalities imposed by the society on the individuals required that people must tie themselves in marriage. The outcome of such pressures is the suicide by both Mary and John. The death of the two highlights the need for change and equality from a Marxist perspective although not from the notion of the social classes. In the story, the depiction of the social classes comes out in the form of young cunning women, older but successful men, submissive wives, youthful and energetic men, and older desperate women.
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