Happy Endings Literary Elements

Short story

The action of each mini-story takes place in modern-day Canada.

The action in the short story is told from the perspective of a third-person objective point of view. Occasionally, the narrator will address the reader directly, making use of the second-person "you."

The mood shifts based on each version of the story: sometimes it is pleasant while other times it is dark and suspenseful. However, the tone of each story is consistent throughout. The narrator describes the action of characters with a markedly straightforward and deadpan affect, suggesting that she is simply reporting events rather than admitting any investment in the characters or their lives. As such, the tone of the story is ironic, as the narrator maintains that the element of storytelling she is dramatizing – plot – is not as interesting as others.

There are no discernible protagonists or antagonists in the story. Characters shift depending on which version of the story is being presented.

Conflicts, too, shift depending on which version of the story readers encounter. However, the story as a whole presents a conflict between the perceived expectations of readers – the desire for a happy ending – and the reality of what makes a good story – drama, intrigue, and conflict.

Each version of the story has its own climax, but the story as a whole features its climax in part F when the narrator acknowledges her own detachment from her subject matter. When she says, "You'll have to face it, the endings are the same however you slice it" (F), she suggests that the underlying concept of her entire story – endings – is actually not as important or interesting as most people think.

As the stories are self-contained and showcase only a straightforward, journalistic narrator, there is little foreshadowing to be found within them. The narrator suggests at the end of the story that foreshadowing and other literary elements become significant when one dispenses with the notion that plot is the most important element of fiction.

When the narrator tells the reader to read version A for a happy ending, the author uses understatement to suggest that a happy ending is easily delivered but rarely satisfying.

There are no notable allusions made throughout the story, again evidence of the author's focus on plot alone and the shortcomings associated with that conception of fiction.

There is also a severe lack of imagery throughout the story, once again serving the author's purpose to put plot on display without the enhancing effects of other literary devices like imagery.

The story itself can be considered a paradox because it dramatizes the concept of lackluster writing by enacting it on the reader.

There are few instances of parallelism in the story, as the narrator does not attempt to craft deeper meaning or significance beyond the rendering of plot.

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