An Examination of Gender Bias and Societal Critique in 'Happy Endings'

This essay delves into the implications of gender bias as depicted in Margaret Atwood's short story, 'Happy Endings.' The analysis focuses on the societal factors contributing to gender bias and how it negatively impacts individuals. The author critiques the patriarchal structures present in contemporary society, examining the limited options available to female characters and the mistreatment they endure. The narrative explores the power dynamics within relationships, highlighting themes of control, infidelity, and the degradation of women's physical and mental health. The essay scrutinizes the story's plots, emphasizing the stereotypical gender roles and the repercussions of challenging patriarchal norms. The conclusion underscores the story's criticism of the patriarchal mindset and its pervasive impact on both genders, where women are subjected to male domination and men are compelled to adhere to rigid gender roles.

Running Head: GENDER BIAS
Gender Bias
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Notes

2GENDER BIAS
The aim of paper is to discuss the implication of the gender bias as it has been made
elucidated in Margaret Atwood’s short story the happy ending. The concern of the author in
the course of the paper is to discuss the factors that are additionally associated with the
gender bias and the way it has taken its shape in order to jeopardize the people from different
section of the community.
The concern of the author in the course of the story is to effectively criticize the bias
that is effective in the contemporary Canada. The story was written by Atwood in the year
1983 where the primary narrative of the story is pivoted upon the character of Mary and John
along with other characters who have featured in the story. The story is concerned with
romantic relationship that takes shape between the two protagonists as well as between other
protagonists in the course of the essay (Gale).
The plots of the story has been segregated between the labels of A-F, where the
happiness of the women protagonist is highly dependent upon the attributes exhibited by the
male protagonist in the relationship. The options that are available to the women in the course
of the relationship are very limited in its attributes and they had to suffer from the
mistreatment that they might have to suffer.
Mary falls in love with John but John doesn't fall in love with Mary. He merely uses
her body for selfish pleasure and ego gratification of a tepid kind.
In the quotation that has been cited above it has implicated the fact the control of the
pleasure had been rested with the male protagonist of the short story. Atwood had been
concerned with the imposition of the power structure of the gender upon the women and had
been critical of the same. The implication of the condition of the women is marked by them
either living their live under the domination of their husband or suffer from the infidelity or

3GENDER BIAS
the mis-treatment that they had to suffer. None of the plot exhibit an independent women
character who decide the course of their life (Tolan).
The second plot is marked by a series of events where there has been betrayal in the
course of the narrative. It has shown that Mary had suffer from the mistreatment in the hand
of John who decides the course of their relationship. Owing to the series of the mistreatment
that she had to go through along with the inhuman treatment and the betrayal that she had to
endure from the relationship she was in had resulted in her degradation in the physical as well
as mental health.
John tells Mary how important she is to him, but of course he can't leave his wife
because a commitment is a commitment. He goes on about this more than is necessary and
Mary finds it boring, but older men can keep it up longer so on the whole she has a fairly
good time.
The quotation had been a turntable yet a return to stereotypical ideals that has been
present there. The denial from Mary had attracted repercussion from the patriarchal mindset.
The situation had extended beyond the point from where she had to make an attempt of
committing suicide. The next situation is similar in the manner where the protagonists creates
the death of Mary as they tried to establish their dominance over the people belonging to the
socially perceived weaker gender (Cooke).
Thus the short story is critical of the discourse of the patriarch mindset and the
widespread impact that the process has on the life of the people belonging to the society
where it has been implied. People of both the gender has been subjected to the dark side of
the hetero patriarchal dominance. The women are subjected to the domination of the men
while the men are forced to paly their respective gender role in order to keep the discourse
alive as well as save themselves from the humiliation.

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Works Cited
Cooke, Nathalie. Margaret Atwood: A critical companion. Greenwood Publishing Group,
2004.
Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for Margaret Atwood's" Happy Endings". Gale,
Cengage Learning, 2016.
Tolan, Fiona. Margaret Atwood: feminism and fiction. Vol. 170. Rodopi, 2007.