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Ebony Ziyambe
May 2, 2014
Final EPortfolio
Professor Lago
Is It The End?
Based on the assumption that understanding the text is altered by the influence of the
Internet, readers initial thoughts about any literature, poem, or short story can and will be shifted.
The dependence on the digital age has begun to default our independent thought. Happy
Endings by Margaret Atwood challenges the brain to look deeply in the context of the short
story and the actual meaning of what a happy ending ought to be. My Papas Waltz by
Theodore Roethke shared the same theme of a supposed happy ending to one childs story.
Both literary works acquainted a chain of troubled events to lead to their supposed happy
ending.
The Internet assists with the understanding of controversial literary works like these,
which build questions and answer them, to better understand or give the reader a different
perspective. It provides readers with another source to answer all the questions literary works
like these will raise. The Internet can assist with understanding the language, structure, and give
multiply interpretations to expand you appreciation for the work.
Happy Endings has six completely different scenarios with one central ending, death.
The details in each scene hold great passion, from the character interactions, to the betrayal,
infidelity and heartbreak that ultimately lead to death. The reader is introduced to a couple and
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the many possible endings to their relationship. While each scene does revolve around John and
Mary, we also experience various emotions, and situational circumstances involving two others,
Marge and Jake.
The story begins with Scenario A. John and Mary fall in love and get
marriedEventually they die. This is the end of the story (Atwood, 445). Happy couple falls in
love and gets married; ultimately, everything leads to a happily ever after. Readers are able to
connect to this version of the story because it is a typical desirable relationship, which most
would dream to have. If broken down, the first story is similar to the lives of the desirable
American family, perfect family, perfect job, and perfect kids. What else is there to
understand? That family that grows old together, dies together, and never falls out of love.
Scenario B takes a different turn for the couple. They story still revolves around these
two main characters but the interpretation is altered by the way the character are interacting and
expressing different emotions with the transformed scenario. Depending on past experiences, the
reader can connect to their situation. Mary, now the other woman, is being used for Johns sexual
pleasures. Mary falls in love with John but John doesnt fall in love with Mary. He merely uses
her body for selfish pleasure and ego gratification of tepid kind (Atwood, 445). To understand
why John uses Mary, the reader might take a look at the Internet to better understand why men
commonly use woman for their pleasures. In a stereotypical world women are seen as sexual
objects for men, this scenario plays out the stereotype in every aspect. She hopes hell discover
her and get her to the hospital in time and repent and then they can get married, but this fails to
happen and she dies (Atwood, 446). Although, everyone tells Mary she deserves better, she
does not take the advice and fights for the love she believes that is hers, till the end.
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Scenario C, takes an alternate turn as well. While changing the roles of Mary and John,
infidelity plays a major role in this setup. Mary again sleeps with John (who is married to
Madge) for his pleasure not hers. Mary is in love with James, who is in her eyes, is her dream
guy. The affair between John and Mary gets heated one day when he discovers Mary and James
in bed together, shoots them and kills himself. Madge eventually remarries a man named Fred.
This situation is familiar to readers whove been victims to infidelity or being in a relationship
with someone who isnt totally committed. There have been plenty circumstances where people
cant separate their reality from their desires and their actions have long lasting effects not only
on themselves but their partners as well.
Scenario D and E, both revolve around Fred and Madge and the same ending in all the
scenarios of death. Death is offered as a happy ending in each individual story. Death is the end
of all their misery and them finally being at peace and for the characters of John and Mary finally
being together for eternity.
For another interpretation of the short story, I looked to the Internet for questions about
the author and those from various readers. First I stumbled upon an interesting spin to reading
literature by Atwood. Atwood has compared writing stories to telling riddles (Goodreads).
This made sense to me as a reader because I felt an urge to complete the story that didnt offer
much but cliffhangers at the end of each scenario. Atwood changes the beginning of each story
which influences the change in circumstances dealing with the same characters and offering
different climaxes that end by one common ground, death. In other words, In content, it is a
powerful observation on life (Bernardo). A story with multiple endings offers multiple
interpretations.
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My Papas Waltz by Theodore Roethke starts off with a powerful opening, The
Whiskey on your breath / Could make a small boy dizzy; (1-2), has a major effect on how the
reader will interpret the poem, on their own (with no assistance from the internet). This poem
offers a memory between a father and son. The poem in its entirety is the definition of
controversial. The perspective of a descriptive night filled with eventful memories from a small
child of his substance abusive father.
The event that takes place between him and his father isnt one to compare to your
average evening. As we continue to read we are introduced to a third character, the small boys
mother, whose facial expression helps us understand that theres a deeper tone in the poem and
to be concerned. My mothers countenance / Could not unfrown itself (7-8). The reader begins
to witness a sense of recklessness or slight violent behavior.
During their Waltz, chaos is the music they dance too. The motion of waltzing, plus the
influence of alcohol has effected Papas ability to be steady as he unconsciously harms his small
boy. At every step you missed / My right ear scraped a buckle (11-12). In the last stanza the
reader sees a somewhat dangerous situation become a place of serenity and happiness for the
small boy. Then waltzed me off to bed still clinging to your shirt (15-16). Even with all the
troubled events, the poem ends with the image of a young boy holding on to his father to keep
him near.
Again, I went to the Internet for a different perspective for My Papas Waltz, and not to
my surprise there were a lot of controversial interpretations of this poem. Some sought this poem
to be a complex memory for the author, which could hold some hidden emotions. "My Papa's
Waltz" appears in Roethke's book The Lost Son and Other Poems. It is said Theodore Roethke
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had a conflicted relationship with his father. He loved the man, but feared him at the same time
(Shmoop). This gives readers the initiative to assume that the poem is based on fact, possible
memoirs of his childhood.
When taking the setting of this poem into consideration, it is appropriate to assume that
since the poem was written in the 1940s, the Waltz itself is symbolic, Waltz is a dance that
involves couples going round and roundThe phrase round and round implies the circle of
life, that with repeated turns keeps them going together (Poetry Voices). This relationship
between the father and son will forever be part of the sons eternal memory. Weather readers
experience a dark and abusive tone or happy one; all interpreters can agree on that it is in fact an
emotional attachment to his father.
In order to comprehend any piece of literature the reader must read and interpret for
them. The Internet only alters views and conform them to those of other interpretations of the
piece they experienced, which provides different perspectives from their reactions to the text.
The authors usage of vivid and descriptive language adds depth to their work and substance,
which aids to these many intellectual thoughts. As the Internet is meant to provide help it
ultimately provides many interpretations but not the one of the author or interpretation of its
writer.




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Works Cited
1. Humanities360. Margaret Atwood Happy Endings. Humanities360.com. 16 Mar. 2009.
Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
2. Poetry Foundation. Roethke, Theodore. My Papas Waltz. 1961. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
3. Shmoop Editorial Team. "My Papa's Waltz." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov.
2008. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
4. Storybites. An Analysis of Margaret Atwood's Happy Endings. 2002-2011. Web. 3 Feb.
2014.