Death is inevitable; if you want happiness in life, try A. Margaret Atwood, the author of "Happy Endings," uses six separate short stories to describe outcomes with different scenarios. The author practices the use of flash fiction which adds to the entirety of each version. Although this story has parts of unusual context, the content can teach reflection on life. As the reader analyzes all six versions, gender roles are evident as the story progresses. Atwood begins the story by introducing the two main characters, John and Mary, and then proceeds to tell a series of options about who they are and what happens to them. In Margaret Atwood's short story, "Happy Endings", the central theme of the narrative provides several different aspects. No matter how hard society tries to achieve a perfect life, it doesn't always go as planned. It doesn't matter if the characters are bored and depressed, confused and guilty, or virtuous and lucky; the gradual path of version A is not always within reach. Atwood states towards the end of the story: “You'll have to deal with it, the endings are the same however you slice it. Don't be fooled by the other endings, they are all false, or deliberately false, with malicious intent to deceive, or simply motivated by excessive optimism if not outright sentimentality. The only authentic ending is the one given here: John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die" (690). The idea of ​​this story is not the fact that everyone dies, but the eventful memories that can make life worthwhile. The author says, “So much for endings. Beginnings are always more fun. True connoisseurs, however, are known to prefer the middle stretch, as it is the most difficult to handle. That's all that can be said about the plots, which are just one thing after another anyway, a thing and a thing and a thing. Now prove how and why” (690). This tale forces readers to question the meaning of life. Every story has the same ending, because the same life has the same ending. Life is exciting because of the experiences that can lead each individual on their life path. The how and why are the inspirations, feelings, and interpretations the reader goes through as they make their way through version A. Be adventurous and make memories because the story is not in the ending; it's in what's been done along the way