Atwood's Unhappy Endings
however, the man is not a hero and doesn’t care to save the woman, who ends up dying. Times have changed since the days of fair maidens and knights in shining armor. A common term, “chivalry is dead,” would fit this scenario perfectly because of the boy’s complete lack of consideration and concern for this woman whom he finds good enough to sleep with and at the same time unworthy of an actual date. Similar criticisms could be made about the girl who does not act like a fair maiden by drinking, taking pills and sleeping with this guy in hopes that he’ll marry her. It is the first updated version of the fairy tale that Atwood gives the reader, with an obviously unhappy ending.
Another modern romance emerges in version C, where the girl is liberated and not dependant on any boy at all. Instead, the boy loves her and feels jealous and wronged when he finds that she has more than one boy. This love triangle gives the girl more freedom than in the previous versions and speaks a little to Atwood’s feminist beliefs. The author was greatly influenced by the feminist movement and has been involved in some feminist causes over the years. This is the first version that breaks away from the cliché that the boy must be the hero. In the end however, the boy’s jealousy wins out and he kills himself, the girl and the other boy. This is symbolic that even though the girl enjoyed some independence, she was still killed by a man who stepped in and took it upon himself to take her life against her will. It could also be said, however, that this version is an old standby of the harlot woman whose comeuppance was due her, and in the end she only got what she deserved. This would place blame back on the girl, and virtually clear the boy who shot them all of any wrongdoing because he was scorned. Either version gives us the same ending, no matter what the motive.
Unconditional love triumphs against all odds in version D. Atwood again utilizes a classic plot by placing the boy and girl in the midst of a tragedy, in their case a tidal wave, where they manage to stick together and end up victorious. Although their relationship is conflict free that does not mean their lives are. Atwood’s version seeks to show us that even if two people can manage to find true love and make it work, there will
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