Margaret Atwood

“War is what happens when language fails”
Margaret Atwood quote

“Does feminist mean large unpleasant person who'll shout at you or someone who believes women are human beings. To me it's the latter, so I sign up.”
Margaret Atwood quote

“An eye for an eye only leads to more blindness.”
Margaret Atwood quote“A divorce is like an amputation: you survive it, but there's less of you”
Margaret Atwood quote

Variations on the Word Love


This is a word we use to plug
holes with. It's the right size for those warm
blanks in speech, for those red heart-
shaped vacancies on the page that look nothing
like real hearts. Add lace
and you can sell
it. We insert it also in the one empty
space on the printed form
that comes with no instructions. There are whole
magazines with not much in them
but the word love, you can
rub it all over your body and you
can cook with it too. How do we know
it isn't what goes on at the cool
debaucheries of slugs under damp
pieces of cardboard? As for the weed-
seedlings nosing their tough snouts up
among the lettuces, they shout it.
Love! Love! sing the soldiers, raising
their glittering knives in salute.

Then there's the two
of us. This word
is far too short for us, it has only
four letters, too sparse
to fill those deep bare
vacuums between the stars
that press on us with their deafness.
It's not love we don't wish
to fall into, but that fear.
this word is not enough but it will
have to do. It's a single
vowel in this metallic
silence, a mouth that says
O again and again in wonder
and pain, a breath, a finger
grip on a cliff side. You can
hold on or let go.




I wanted to post something else by Atwood because the "Happy Ending" is such a depressing story.
For some reason "Happy Endings" creates a whirl of emotions for me. I am sure this story has been praised by great literary critics for its originality and the way she creates a unique short story. I want to slam this story into a black hole. She creates two characters, which are the most generic names every created, that go through a story that the reader chooses. John and Mary names are generic so more people can relate to the different scenarios. Why after every story do they have to die? John cheats they die. Mary cheats they die. Why is she reminding us that lovers die? Anybody reading this story is educated enough to understand life is short and we need to enjoy every minute of it.
Then there is the "everything continues as in A." First of all nothing turns out like the "A". Second she repeats this phrase. The phase is why I feel like my intelligence is questioned. Anyone who reads this story would know that "A" is fictitious.
I feel like this story questions my sanity. Atwood does not need to remind us to cherish everyday because we will die. I just don't like this story.
I am sure people who read this will think how stupid of a reaction, but don't forget we all are going die, so who cares?