Read “Happy Endings,” by Kevin Canty in The Best American Short Stories 2015.
Respond to the prompt below in a 200-300 word response. In order to earn full marks, you must:
- Demonstrate that you’ve read the story.
- Put some thought into what you’re reading.
- Respond to the prompt by saying something that goes beyond merely summarizing what happens. Look beneath the surface, make connections, ask questions.
- Write at least 200 words.
- Include a one or two of direct references or quotes from the story (don’t worry about proper formatting for quotes.
- Attend class on August 31 in order to be eligible for a grade.
- (I’m not grading spelling, grammar, etc. for this assignment. But please read it over once to make sure everything makes sense and looks neat)
Prompt:
- The last paragraph of the story presents very positive imagery: “spring had come…it was warm..the sunlight pouring down on his skin, another gift in a world of gifts” (43). It concludes with this line: “His life was about to change” (43). Judging by what you’ve read in the story, how is McHenry’s life about to change? Of course, there is no concrete answer to this question. It is meant to be ambiguous. But, offer one possibility of how his life might change, based on what you’ve read before. Be sure to mention one or two specific things that happen in the story. Feel free to express uncertainties, doubt, questions, or anything you don’t understand about the story or the prompt. If you feel like you can’t answer the question, then speak about why you feel you can’t answer the question. Just be sure to reference the story enough so that it’s clear to me that you read it. Explaining why you’re confused is a valuable analytical exercise!
To respond, click on “leave a reply” (written below). You’ll have to enter your email address and your name (or sign in with your WordPress account, if you have one). Write your response. Please write your full name at the bottom of your response so I can identify you. Click on “post comment.” You will not see your comment. You’ll likely get a message saying something like: “Your comment is being held for moderation.” Please post it only once. Do not email me asking if it posted.
Copy and paste your response onto a Word document and save a copy for yourself, just in case. You don’t need to print it and bring it to class. In case of any technical issue, you can hand in the hard copy at a later date. In terms of technical issues, benefit of the doubt will always go to the student.
Contemporary American Fiction 
Kevin Canty’s short story, Happy Endings, explores the subjects of loneliness, self-discovery and lust. The protagonist, McHenry, is a hardworking man who dedicated his life to his family, and was used to being watched closely by both his co-workers and family members. Now that he is out of work, and there is no one left to watch him, he un-expectantly experiences the wonders of life for the first time. McHenry begins to do things for himself and journeys on adventures that shockingly excite him, such as the misleadingly boring activity of bird watching. His sudden sexual desires, which is acted upon by his visit to the Bankok Sunshine massage parlor, ultimately serves as the catalyst of the story as it leads to his discovery that the “world is full of gifts” (Canty 42). During his first visit, he expresses his deep concern for being spotted and constantly questions his presence due to the taboo placed around it’s sordid reputation. However, when McHenry returns for the following sessions, these worries seem to fade away and are replaced by his attempt to justify his actions. He states that “he wasn’t stealing tenderness from anybody or stealing anyone else’s money”, and gradually begins to challenge what is considered to be socially acceptable (38). McHenry experiences a change in character as his fear for being judged by others disappears and he no longer feels the need to abide by the predetermined “rules” that everyone in society follows. This is ultimately demonstrated at the end of the story when McHenry lays on the hood of his truck, outside the parlor, without any care of being seen by someone he knows. This evidently contrasts his prior feelings of worry and insecurity, and is further emphasized by the open ending, “His life was about to change” (43). McHenry realizes the restrictions imposed by society’s social rules and makes the conscious decision to challenge this, in order to truly experience the beauty of life that had been kept hidden from him all these years.
Emily Sarid
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An excellent answer to the question. A profound statement about the real change in his character.
Plus.
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By the end of the short story Happy Endings, written by Kevin Canty, it seems like the character of McHenry has changed by exploring his sexual and romantic needs more than in the beginning of the story. Since the death of his wife, Marnie, and the departure with his daughter, Carolyn, McHenry has become a very lonely man. Since he is lonely, he hasn’t had sex in a very long time. So he remembers the time one of his crewmembers talking about a massage parlor where the women employees would perform sexual favors. In the beginning, McHenry was really hesitating about going to this massage place because he knew that it had been away since his last sexual encounter and that he wouldn’t really know what to do. But, he finally goes. It is after the second time (both with a woman named Tracy) that he goes that he finally starts to ask himself if what he was doing was really so wrong. Even if he still didn’t want people to know about what he was doing, he wanted to know why there was a stigma around his actions.
“What if this was not wrong… He knew he’d never do a thing like Tracy if he had to explain it to anybody. If Marnie were alive, if Carolyn were around. He wasn’t a cheater… He wasn’t stealing tenderness from anybody or spending someone else’s money… he knew he wouldn’t want to be caught doing this… But he couldn’t figure out who was being hurt. Tracy herself seemed cheerful enough.
When he went to the Christian Single group, he even sees how not everyone pays attention to the stigma of these acts when Adele Baker, a friend of Marnie, told Mchenry about how many of the people there have broken the rules of their own religion, as this serves as a way to show the reader that perhaps McHenry should not be ashamed of his actions (after all, everyone needs some sort of pleasure once in a while.
“Adele: … And by dated I don’t mean date. Don’t be shocked.
McHenry: I thought these were the Christian Singles.
Adele: We’re all Christian and we’re all single, but we’re not always both at the same”
The meaning behind how the season has changed to spring serves as a way to say that a new part of life is now upon the person and that beautiful things are to come. In the end, McHenry ultimately changes when he becomes more comfortable going to get his needs fulfilled, as he goes to the massage parlor once more even though somebody “might come by… It didn’t matter. He can finally turn to a different chapter of his life.
-Justin Aquino
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Your response gains steam as it goes along. You get to an interesting place near the end. Near the beginning, you offer a bit of summary of the story. In future responses, be careful to not summarize any more than necessary.
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Throughout the story, McHenry is clearly conflicted over his own thoughts and feelings, ever since his wife passed away and his daughter moved far away from home. McHenry is a man who acts a certain way because someone needs him to, because he is being watched: “[…] he learned to look like he was working when he worked […] to act like a father when his daughter was around, to look like a husband when Marnie needed a husband” (32). Right off the bat, we know that McHenry still isn’t really doing anything for himself, the needs of others only motivated him. This can explain why it took him so long to go to that massage place, or why he was afraid to be seen there. The experience clearly makes him feel good but he is emotionally conflicted. It seems like he feels guilty for enjoying the massage place and for feeling like he had somehow missed this while his was wife was still alive: “[…] that waste of years should have been joyful” (41). Which isn’t unreasonable for him to feel. Having a spouse diagnosed with a terminal illness can be awful. However, it seems like the little outing with Adele really helped him realize that he doesn’t have to act as if people are watching him or judging him. He can do something simply because he enjoys it.
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Throughout the story, McHenry is clearly conflicted over his own thoughts and feelings, ever since his wife passed away and his daughter moved far away from home. McHenry is a man who acts a certain way because someone needs him to, because he is being watched: “[…] he learned to look like he was working when he worked […] to act like a father when his daughter was around, to look like a husband when Marnie needed a husband” (32). Right off the bat, we know that McHenry still isn’t really doing anything for himself, the needs of others only motivated him. This can explain why it took him so long to go to that massage place, or why he was afraid to be seen there. The experience clearly makes him feel good but he is emotionally conflicted. It seems like he feels guilty for enjoying the massage place and for feeling like he had somehow missed this while his was wife was still alive: “[…] that waste of years should have been joyful” (41). Which isn’t unreasonable for him to feel. Having a spouse diagnosed with a terminal illness can be awful. However, it seems like the little outing with Adele really helped him realize that he doesn’t have to act as if people are watching him or judging him. He can do something simply because he enjoys it.
Kaylyn Riccucci
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Good response. Nice reading of McHenry’s character. A bit short (quotations don’t count in the word count.)
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“Happy Endings”, by Kevin Canty: Analysis
The protagonist in Kevin Canty’s “Happy Endings”, McHenry, goes through a psychological shift around his late 50’s. Early on, the narrator reveals that McHenry has been living his life searching to please others, “He learned to act like a father when his daughter was around, to look like a husband when Marnie needed a husband. He did what people expected him to or maybe a little more.” (p.32). He spent his entire life building a false sense of acceptance. That is, by taking in other’s approval as a sense of accomplishment. We then learn that his wife is deceased, and that his daughter lives abroad. For the first time, he is left all to himself. With a business deal that didn’t go through, McHenry is left to sell his store, and most of what he owns. This downfall pushes him to pay a visit to the Bangkok Sunshine “massage” parlour. Through physical contact with Tracy, an employee at the massage parlour, McHenry’s sexual appetite is rediscovered. He feels guilty for coming to such a place, “If Marnie were alive. If Carolyn were around. He wasn’t a cheater. But just in himself, he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it.” (p.38). Slowly, as the story progresses, he cares less and less about what his church-going friends would think of him. He questions the reality and the morality behind his actions. What if it weren’t wrong at all? In my opinion, his life is about to change because he finally decides to put himself first. McHenry gives into his desires and is about to live the true authentic version of himself. This excludes other’s opinions about him, a moral conduct offered by the church, and barriers that he imposed onto himself.
– Sindy Ann Fernando
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Good response. Good juxtaposition of two quotes. A bit of unnecessary summary near the middle. The end brings up a good point, but could probably be expressed in a more condensed way.
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The protagonist in Kevin Canty’s “Happy Endings”, McHenry, goes through a psychological shift around his late 50’s. Early on, the narrator reveals that McHenry has been living his life searching to please others, “He learned to act like a father when his daughter was around, to look like a husband when Marnie needed a husband. He did what people expected him to or maybe a little more.” (p.32). He spent his entire life building a false sense of acceptance. That is, by taking in other’s approval as a sense of accomplishment. We then learn that his wife is deceased, and that his daughter lives abroad. For the first time, he is left all to himself. With a business deal that didn’t go through, McHenry is left to sell his store, and most of what he owns. This downfall pushes him to pay a visit to the Bangkok Sunshine “massage” parlour. Through physical contact with Tracy, an employee at the massage parlour, McHenry’s sexual appetite is rediscovered. He feels guilty for coming to such a place, “If Marnie were alive. If Carolyn were around. He wasn’t a cheater. But just in himself, he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it.” (p.38). Slowly, as the story progresses, he cares less and less about what his church-going friends would think of him. He questions the reality and the morality behind his actions. What if it weren’t wrong at all? In my opinion, his life is about to change because he finally decides to put himself first. McHenry gives into his desires and is about to live a true authentic version of himself. This excludes other’s opinions about him, a moral conduct offered by the church, and barriers that he imposed to himself.
-Sindy Ann Fernando
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From the start, it is evident that McHenry is a very lonely person. With the passing of his wife Marnie and his daughter Caroline moving away, McHenry was left alone with his business and his dog. However, after being kicked out of the business, we see him finally opening himself up to new opportunities and possibilities. When he went out to look at the Bankok Sunshine, he ended up visiting the massage parlour which helped him in more ways than one. McHenry found the company he had been missing ever since Marnie had passed and began to question the rules by which he lived his life. He asked himself “what if this was not wrong” (37)? McHenry was then willing to try new things and to care less about what other people thought. He joined the town’s Christian Singles group which made him connect with Adele, a friend of his passed wife, who he had never been close to even though they lived in a small where everyone knew each other. As the two went on a bird watching trip together, McHenry, who originally thought the day would be a boring one, realized how beautiful life truly was and enjoyed a situation which he would not have been drawn to previously. McHenry changed his outlook on things as he chose to “celebrate a life so full of amazing things as this” (42). With this, he was able to go back to the massage place without caring what people thought. In the end, McHenry’s life was about to change in the sense that he came to terms with his loneliness and isolation but also allowed himself to fix it by chasing his wants and needs without being scared of going against the “rules” imposed by society.
Charlotte Vezina-Dufresne
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Good response. I like how you point out that McHenry’s perceptions change throughout the story. There are just a couple of sentences of summary, which is fine, but in order to reach a “plus,” you’ll want to make sure every sentence counts.
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McHenry, more or less, lived an ordinary life. He had a wife, who sadly passed away, a daughter, who now has a life of her own, and spent most of his life digging wells for cattle ranchers and wheat farmers. I believe that his life was about to change because he would begin living for himself and no longer trying to live up to the expectations of others. ” He did what people expected him to or maybe a little more. He always tried for more.” The readers see that McHenry always did what others expected from him and even tried to go beyond those expectations. His choices and actions were always to fill the desires of what others wanted from him, but never of what he expected or wanted from himself. The loneliness starts to get to McHenry and he begins making decisions for himself, such as going to the massage place, and the readers see how he slowly learns to not care about what others think of him.
Throughout the story, McHenry is constantly trying to find a reason as to why going to the massage place is wrong and he worries so much about how others will judge him based on his choices. ” What if this was something beautiful that he had shut himself off from his whole life? What if they were wrong, the watchers? Maybe there was nothing really bad with this.” He tries to convince himself of any reason to stop going, but he cannot think of one. When he is at the massage place, McHenry feels free and sensations that he has never felt before. The less he begins to care about how others will see him, the happier he realizes he is. ” A test of some kind, McHenry thought. Not what he was supposed to want, or what somebody else would like him to want, he wasn’t trying to please anybody but himself. So what did he want for himself? Nobody was watching.” These questions go beyond McHenry’s way of thinking because he spent his entire life acting the way he always thought he needed to act for others. He acted like a father when his daughter was around and he acted like a husband when Marnie needed him to be one. I believe that since he is alone now and nobody’s watching, he has come to the realization that he can drop the act and just be himself and live without fear of judgement from others. His life is about to change because what others think of him doesn’t matter to McHenry anymore and the only question he needs to be asking himself is why not?
Morgan Kane
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Good response. I like how you focus on McHenry’s expectations. There is a bit of repetition throughout. Try to make every sentence count.
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At the beginning of the story it seemed logical a nice ending would be derived from somebody new entering his life. This seems logical to assume because so much of the beginning deals with him always being watched and how his life becomes very lonely once he was left with nobody to watch him; “They Skyped each other every few weeks but it was nothing like having her around”. His daughter left and got a job in China which left him with a empty house, plus a dog and although they Skype to keep in contact he is still feeling very lonely. As the story progressed the single Christians group presented itself as the ultimate solution. But to my surprise the story ends with no strong connection to anybody in the group. I believe the ending instead of showing how he formed a connection with somebody to fill his life, shows how he is now fine with nobody in his life to watch over him; “Somebody might see him. It didn’t matter”. At the end he doesn’t care who see’s him being somewhere he shouldn’t be (outside the massage parlour). This is in stark contrast to the beginning when he was hyper aware of when he was being watched and would change what he was doing to make himself look better. This is indicative of his change from being dependent on people to an acceptance that it doesn’t matter if somebody is watching him or not because he doesn’t care what they think about him. This is ultimately why the ending is so positive, because what has been limiting him for so long since his wife’s death and daughter leaving him has been lifted off his shoulders.
Jeffrey Smith
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You touch on some nice points regarding McHenry’s character. Be careful not to start a response with “he,” as it’s not necessarily clear who you’re talking about. There are a couple of other references that are unclear here.
Minus.
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I think McHenry’s life is about to change, because he finally decided to let other women than his daughter and dead wife in his life. It’s also going to change because he decided to experience more sexual pleasure and sexual adventures. I believe that the guilt McHenry was feeling after his first visit to the Bangkok Sunshine was really huge because of the sexual desire and the pure pleasure that Tracy gave him, but that experience made him also think whether those feelings were necessarily bad or if they can be seen as positive changes in his life. Those questions made him sign up in a Christian Singles group which helped him to think through. Indeed, Adele told him about the sexual relation each of them had with another which, I think, made him understand that there is no shame or guilt about having sexual pleasure even after the loss of his wife. In other words, the conversations he had with Adele opened his mind about having those sexual desires. I believe that is what he realises after his last visit to Bangkok Sunshine; “fucking” might be a blessing rather than an “curse” as he calls it in the beginning (p.38). Finally, his life is about to change because he decided to no longer act as people expected him to but rather act as he wishes and desires without worrying about everybody’s judgments.
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Good response. Try to focus on one or two instances from the story in detail. You go through a lot of evidence here, but you don’t necessarily into deep enough detail for each individual reference that you introduce.
Minus.
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McHenry’s life is about to change because he had decided to open up to a new world of possibilities. While Adele was driving them to the Freezeout, he looked at her and thought about how he felt like he was telling a true story, the one about his life, but it wasn’t his own story. This makes it seem like the story that used to be his life has now ended, like when someone gets so immersed in a movie that they feel like they’re a part of it, but when it’s over they realize that it’s not what their life is. Since there is no way for him to go back to how things were before, it feels as though all of it might not have really happened to him because he is no longer living in that same story. Once he finally decided to try out the massage place, he discovers a new feeling with Tracy and starts wondering what it is that’s truly wrong about what he’s doing. The more he questions it, the more he thinks that there might not really be anything wrong after all, though he tries not to think about it at first. It’s only at the end does he truly let himself go and decides to embrace what he’s doing. After leaving his old life behind, he’s trying out these new possibilities and entering into what is a new world for him, essentially changing his life.
Luka Vaguidov
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I really like the movie analogy. I think there’s something quite interesting and unique about that idea. It’s one that could be developed further.
Plus.
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In the short story by Kevin Canty, we explore the story of McHenry and his struggles with loss and loneliness. We see him begin to discover himself through his sexual desires and his new sense of independence. At the beginning of the story it is obvious that McHenry has lived most of his life trying to please others and fit into certain roles that may not represent him, “he learned to act like a father when his daughter was around, to look like a husband when Marnie needed a husband.” McHenry played these roles for most of his life, but after his wife passed and his daughter moved he could no longer hide behind these characters he played. McHenry now was struggling to figure out who he was and what he wanted, because he spent so long being and doing what was expected of him from others. It takes a while for McHenry to begin thinking for himself, even when he joined the Christian singles group he still thought that, “He could not be trusted by himself” and later it also mentions that, “He felt like he didn’t know himself”. McHenry’s life is about to change because at the end of the story we see that he now lives for himself and doesn’t feel the need to please others. He begins to want to please himself and make his own decisions. Towards the end of the story it says, “he wasn’t trying to please anybody but himself”, he is not ashamed of who he is and realizes that he spent so much time trying to be someone he wasn’t. The biggest loss in his life may have been himself, but now he is finally trying to live the life and be the person that he desires to be.
Caterina Saletnig
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Really strong reading of this story, and it leads you to a really intriguing last line “The biggest loss in his life may have been himself.” Wow. Lots of possibilities in that statement.
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In the short story “Happy Endings”, we are introduced to a character named McHenry. McHenry had lived quite a sheltered life as far as we were concerned. He seemed to emulate the behavior that was expected of him and fit the part that he felt was right: “He learned to act like a father when his daughter was around, to look like a husband when Marnie needed a husband.” Once his wife had passed away and his daughter Caroline had moved away to China for her studies, his lifestyle began to change drastically. He displayed behavior that was uncharacteristic of his personality, such as going for naked massages, which ended up being more of a sexual encounter than an every day massage. This exploratory behavior branched out into him joining a Christian Singles group, where he would meet new women: “You and she are the only two new faces since last summer (…) everybody else has dated almost everybody else”. His life is about to change in the sense that he no longer is living to please all those around him, but to please himself. I also feel that considering he lost his wife and how fragile life can be, he is starting to notice that he has to make decisions to satisfy his needs and wants before it is too late. His mentality of reaching a happy ending goes much deeper than any monetary value, seeing he pays an extra 20$ for pleasure on multiple occasions. His happy ending is the motto that he will live by and the future is his to control.
Chad Levet
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Terrific response. I like how you tie everything in the story together consequentially. I also really like the philosophical last few lines. You’ve reached a place of true insight here.
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After reading “Happy Endings” by Kevin Canty, it seems like McHenry was never really his own person, but when it came to the point in his life where he had no one, he finally had to do something for himself. For example, when Marnie was alive and Carolyn was still living at home, McHenry had two people he always needed to be there for, and if you add on the fact that he had a business to run, it’s safe to say McHenry had his hands full doing things for other people. But when Marnie died of pancreatic cancer and Carolyn moved to China, he lost two big parts of his life. And finally when his business slowed down and finally came to a halt, he realized he had nothing. This led to certain impulses brewing inside of McHenry to rise to the surface, particularly his sexual desire. It became too intense to ignore so he decided to go to Bangkok Sunshine to get a massage, and received a happy ending. The decision to do this felt very wrong for McHenry at first, in fact, he tried talking himself out of going back. But with time, and I think this is what the author is referring to when he writes that McHenry’s life is about to change, he began to allow himself to indulge in this thing that he so badly wanted to indulge in and he finally began to be his own person. It was clear that before he had this change within him, he thought what he was doing was shameful and that people wouldn’t like him if they found out. But why would he care if Marnie’s friend Adele found out and didn’t like him because of it? She was no one to him. It’s probably just because he had been so used to considering the opinion of other people and having so many people hover over him that he never once made a decision that was purely his own. The day after his day trip with Adele he returns to Bangkok Sunshine and this time “he wasn’t trying to please anybody but himself. So what did he want himself?” (43) This just goes to show that McHenry truly changed into his own person throughout the story, whereas earlier in his life he wasn’t make any decisions for himself of considering his own opinion.
Maggie Sessenwein
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You make an excellent statement about the thread of desire that runs through this story.
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In Kevin Canty’s “Happy Endings”, the readers are introduced to McHenry, a widower who struggles to cope with loneliness, boredom, and his sexual desires. For the longest time, he always had somebody watching him. He did what was expected of him, and sometimes even a little bit more. Always living by the rules, McHenry lived a normal life which he now finds to be unsatisfactory. After going out of business, he found himself to be quite lonely and bored. After the death of his wife, McHenry senses a feeling of sexual tension emerging within: “What is this was something beautiful that he had shut himself off from his whole life? Fucking, he thought. He had been using the word his whole life as a curse. What if it instead turned out to be a blessing”. He then reluctantly decides to go to a massage parlor where they offer “happy endings”. As much as he enjoys these massages, McHenry somewhat feels guilty about receiving these massages and he is unsure about how he feels about these “happy endings” or more specifically how others would feel about it. All his life, McHenry was too preoccupied with people’s opinions and perceptions of the person that they think he is. Although, he somehow manages to shake this habit of caring about what people think and turned it into caring about how he thinks and feels: “Not what he was supposed to want, or what somebody else would like him to want – he wasn’t trying to please anybody buy himself”. Suddenly, the sun shines warmer and brighter and he feels relieved from the weight off his shoulders caused by his care for people’s opinions. Thus, McHenry’s life will change because he is now able to live life as a “free” man and enjoy all that life has to offer.
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A good response. You make several true statements about the story. Try to go a bit deeper into examining one or two specific moments from the story, rather than making general statements about it.
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The imagery at the end of Kevin Canty’s “Happy Endings” of the warm, spring sunshine coupled with McHenry’s comfort and confidence insinuates that he is going to take control of his life and make his own positive change. Throughout the story, McHenry reflects on his current state and what brought him to this point. He contemplates on whether it can or should be improved, and ultimately decides he has nothing to lose.
When McHenry goes birdwatching with his late wife’s friend Adele, he learns about Adele’s husband’s mental problems and remembers the last few happy years that were stolen from Marnie by her illness; “The sadness again, at the secrecy and fear that had kept them from bright life. It was too late for Marnie. McHenry thought it was too late for him too, and maybe Adele too.” (Canty 71). Even before Marnie’s death, it was secrecy and fear that had kept her and McHenry from living their lives to the fullest. Now that she has passed, McHenry is still plagued with living in secrecy as well as isolation. He does not seek out emotional support in his friends or neighbors, but instead relieves his need for care and intimacy at the massage parlor, a pastime which he feels he must keep secret.
McHenry’s perspective changes after he goes birdwatching and witnesses something beautiful he has never seen before; “…on the lake were geese and swans beyond counting, tens of thousands of them, teeming…they rose in one movement and circled through the air, blocking out half the sky in white movement, black wing tips. Okay, McHenry thought. This was worth it. All this beautiful life, this excess, generosity.” (Canty 72). McHenry used to think of Marnie’s death as proof of how quickly life can take away what one loves most, but his new perspective sees life as full of gifts, excess and generosity. With this new outlook, he is grateful for the time he still has, and realizes that there are many beautiful things he is yet to experience.
The end of the story shows McHenry is ready to embrace the opportunities that he still has. The act of going to the massage parlor in his own truck and standing outside, allowing himself the chance of being recognized, shows that McHenry is taking control of his life. He decides he will live unapologetically, for he has nothing to lose in seeing all the gifts that life has to offer.
Kaela-Rose LeBlanc
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You manage to make a profound and original statement about this story. I like how you focus on this moment with Adele. You pick up on some really profound images.
Plus.
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Mc Henry is a man who lived by pleasing other people’s needs and expectations. He had a wife named marine who sadly passed away, and a daughter who moved across the country. Mc Henry is now left by himself and throughout the story we can see him experiencing difficulties to do things for himself, for example\; getting a massage. We get to experience his journey as mc Henry wants to start doing things for himself and not for other people. McHenry has been feeling quite lonely after being able to only care and please other people , he no longer knows what would people think of him as he now experiences things on his own and for his own self. After being to a massage he felt sensations which he had never felt before , I think he never allowed himself think beyond the box, meaning he always thought of what was the better way to think instead of making sure everyone was being cared for, he never allowed himself to think or listen to what he has to say. I would ask Mc Henry why he finally came to the conclusion to do things for himself and no longer for other people. In the book it mentions “ not what he was supposed to want , or somebody else like him to want- he wasn’t trying to please anyone but himself. He made the decision to live his life from the complete opposite way he used to live because why wouldn’t he and why would he have to follow rules to please other people when he’s doing it to fulfill his own needs. This did make me realize how much we subconsciously do things for other people and when you actually have the time to reflect that’s when we come to the realization of or actions. His life is about to change because he was able to change his way of thinking and no he will no longer live for other people but himself.
Pamela Rochefort
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I was quickly distracted by the typos early on in your response. You’ll need to submit work that is more carefully written and proofread than this.
Minus.
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The story “Happy Endings” by Kevin Canty is a story that describes the life of a lonely man that lost his wife and is trying to find a way to make his life less miserable. In my opinion, the main idea of this story is how hard it is to go through the death of someone that has been very close to us in this case it was McHenry’s wife. After the death of his wife and the departure of his daughter, Carolyn, he was completely alone, isolated and had no one to comfort him or help him in any way until he found that massage parlor which has altered the way he used to live completely. The last paragraph of the story states that his life is about to change and I think that the reason why it will change is that he finally was able to break free from the isolation and the loneliness that he was feeling when the story first began. The author made it clear from the very beginning that he was mourning his wife’s death and he was not ready to move on and let go of the past in the following passage: “Still sometimes it felt to him that the death had never happened, an unreal, ugly dream”. I think that after his talk with Adele, the married woman whose husband was diagnosed with a mental illness, and also after getting a massage from someone other than Tracy (the girl he is used to, his comfort zone) he realized that he is no longer stuck he can finally do what he wants without feeling guilty about his wife not being there. The reason why his life is about to change is because he realized that he is no longer required to do what he would have done if his wife was still alive. He is finally being able to move on and live his own life and finally begin a new chapter without having the shadow of his dead wife following him everywhere.
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You have some good ideas here that have merit, but you don’t engage quite with the material of the story enough.
Minus.
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I find the life story of McHenry very relatable and common for every individual. He lives his life through what most people expects of him instead of how he actually wants to spend it. He always conform to the rules or standard of being a good husband to his wife, Marnie, and a better father to his daughter, Carolyn. When his wife died, and his daughter left to China for her studies, McHenry is left with wondering about the possibilities that might happen if he follows what his heart’s desire. He is troubled with the thought of relinquished chance that there “was something beautiful that he had shut himself off from his whole life” (38) since he always live his life patterned to other people’s notion of a good life. McHenry is slowly realizing that he is living his life in a realm of fake reality. “It felt like he was telling a story and it was a true story but it wasn’t who he was”. (41) Thus, showing that he has become a prisoner in his own story because of his constant battle between who they want him to be and who he really is. However, just like in most stories, the main character/s will often have a redeeming moment. Finally, after a series of self-questioning about life and love, McHenry accepts the fact that he needs to start changing his life and abandon the thoughts of people regarding his actions.
This story is very relevant and timeless for almost everyone feels that they should conform to the society’s way of thinking. I know it’s hard to be real especially if the world is underpinned by sets of expectations and standards. Some people may perceive that if they do something different from what the group is doing, they can be labeled as outcasts and/or eccentric. In my perspective, this is what McHenry feels when he is around his loved ones. He feels that he needs to follow all the signposts of what a person oughts to do instead of doing what a person is passionate about.
Lenz Layug
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You have some really good ideas here. I especially like the idea of him becoming “a prisoner in his own story.” Interesting. Try to expand on this idea by looking at other moments from the story that this reminds you of, or by looking more closely at the quote itself.
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McHenry was a man who only did stuff for his daughter and wife, and it was as if his life had no meaning without them. I question if this has anything to do with the way he was raised and the standards his parents put on him as a child. “He learned to act like a father when his daughter was around, to look like a husband when Marnie needed a husband.” After a few years of being a widow, he started to realize that his life barley belonged to him and he slowly started to consider himself and his needs. He took away the titles that he was expected to be and chose not to care. Even if the massages with the happy endings were distasteful it was an act of going out in public for himself and not caring what he did if only it made him happy. When the author says “then he began to wonder again, whether the rules were the same, whether he had to do something that he didn’t know how to do.” I think it was part of his epiphany and his second life the one without children and a wife, he didn’t exactly know how to just be himself; he only knew who he was expected to be. Since he never thought about being anything but mediocre, the options were endless when he thought about who he could be. He was planting his seeds for his own identity. Picking and choosing where his life can go and what would make him feel happy and whole. The spring was a symbolic way of talking about the widow man who is going to evolve into a different individual after such a long winter. His inner wants being dormant until it saw the sun again, when he truly wanted to please himself. McHenry finally got his happy ending.
Martika Vilar-Oliveira
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Terrific response. Very thoughtful. I especially like the part about him taking away “titles.”
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In the short story “Happy Endings” by Kevin Canty, there is a man how loses everything, his wife dies, his daughter moves away and he even loses the company turning him in to an empty lonely shell of a man. At the end of the story he is laying on the and it is the beginning of the spring which represents a new beginning and moving on. When the sun hits his truck, it starts to heat up and releases new heat and it says, “he didn’t want that, not just yet.” (Canty 43) This is implying that he is going to move on in his life, but just not yet. Then he closes his eyes and just accepts the heat, which is symbolizing that he is accepting that is life will change for the better for him. The irony is that threw out the story is that every time he did stuff with the masseuse/hooker was all quoted as “Happy Ending” (Canty 36) when the real happy ending of the story in the last paragraph is a real happy ending. It seems that the phrase happy ending only shows up in the low points of his life and not the good parts at all.
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Please come and speak to me about this response when you get a chance.
Minus.
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McHenry was someone who always had someone looking after him, always had someone there watching everything that he did. All of sudden, he finds himself alone, no one watching him. His wife passed away of pancreatic cancer, his daughter goes off to China, starting a life of her own and his business of digging wells for a living in Montana is taken over by a Japanese computer-controlled drilling rig. With all of these losses, McHenry decides that it is time for a change. He’s been a hard worker all his life and decides that he has enough money to last him through the rest of his life so he closes down his business, expecting to feel some sort of fulfilment or purpose. However, he discovers nothing, he is still alone and aroused. A small conversation allows him to discover a massage parlor in Billings. He decides to give it a try and quickly feels a freeing of his soul and new warmth to his life after the women would touch him. This pure and natural feeling he experienced makes him feel guilty and also unsure if what he has done is wrong or right. I think that the sentence “his life was about to change” means that McHenry is a man, who, all of his life, has felt that sex was something wrong, something to be kept a secret and suddenly he realizes that maybe there is nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to sex, nothing to feel guilty or embarrassed by but rather a satisfaction, a natural and pleasurable action. In the short story, McHenry, at the beginning describes spring as “just as hard season […] the freezing rain just pounding” and when he comes out of the parlor after having a massage he sees spring as “warm sunlight […] spring had come. It was actually warm.” This demonstrates that at the beginning he sees spring as a harsh and difficult time where as in the end he sees it as a wonderful time of year where everything begins, a new start. This new start allows him to see a happy ending to the rough 5 years that he had.
Emilie Cohen
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I really like the juxtaposition of the two spring images. Very nice connection. In future responses, spend less time summarizing (which you do for the first half of this piece) and more time in comparing images.
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Emily Sarid, Jessica Rupnik, Shanna King, Tabiesha Thompson. Sindy Ann Fernando, Martika Vilar-Oliveira ,Huikun Zhang
“This demonstrates that at the beginning he sees spring as a harsh and difficult time where as in the end he sees it as a wonderful time of year where everything begins, a new start”.
This sentence stood out to us as it highlights McHenry’s transformation over the course of the story by using seasons as symbolism. His negative outlook regarding spring prior to the massages is contrasted to that after, in which he describes it’s beauty.
This is a strong response as it answers the prompt analytically and in an insightful manner. The idea related to spring was a new perception which none of us had realized before.
The comment about the protagonist’s realization truly captures his genuine feelings towards sex.
We think it’s important to first answer the question asked in the prompt, and to integrate parts of the story in this answer rather than giving a summary. It’s also necessary to show some deep thought by highlighting some elements in the story that can tie into the prompt.
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The short story “Happy Endings” by Kevin Canty is about an older man named McHenry, who has spent most of his life pleasing others and never venturing outside of his comfort zone. McHenry’s wife has passed away and his daughter has a high paying job in China. McHenry is, for the first time, left alone in Montana. When McHenry decides to go an erotic massage parlour, it’s the first step he takes to breaking the “rules”, as a widower, an older man, and as Christian. After his couple first experiences at the massage parlour he begins to question why he feels like what he’s doing isn’t okay “If Marnie were alive if Carolyn were around. He wasn’t a cheater. But just in himself, he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it.”. As he progresses through these experiences he realizes that perhaps the reason he feels this way is because he closed himself off from these things “What if this was something beautiful that he had shut himself from his whole life?”. This whole experience has shattered these social constructs that McHenry was conditioned to accept. The positive imagery of sunshine and spring having arrived reflect that McHenry has had a life changing experience, and that drastic change will now lead him to live a life that pleases himself instead of trying to please others.
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What you say is true enough, but this reads too much like a snapshot summary of the story. Try to focus more deeply on one or two moments from the story rather than generally recapping it.
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McHenry, a husband and father living a life of appeasing everyone around him, because it was the right thing to do. It was all simple, until his life starts to become empty. First, his wife passed away from cancer. Second, his daughter moved to China for a well paying job. Then third, his shop closed. He was lonely and dwelled in emptiness. Sure he talked to his daughter once in awhile “but it was nothing like having her around”. The simplest pleasures of life were missing. So then he remembered hearing from a crew worker about a massage parlor in Billings. After months of thinking about that massage parlor, he finally gained the confidence to go that massage parlor, and when he did, things were starting to change for him. Question whether or not this was right, he went in anyway and saw Tracy who he started to gain affection for. He left feeling great and with a thirst for more pleasure. Soon after he met Adele in bar, became friends and enjoyed each others company, relieving his loneliness. After spending his time with Adele and Tracy, he realized that maybe it doesn’t matter what is right or wrong, or that his lost connection isn’t what created the emptiness within him. He just never lived, and that is the true problem. He isolated himself from the joy and happiness of life. So when “his life was going to change”, that’s when he decides he will experience life for himself.
Avishek Paul
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Good ideas in here, but you spend too much time summarizing the beginning of the story. The first half of your response only discusses the first few paragraphs.
Minus.
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Throughout the story Mc Henry does not seem to reach out to many characters, isolating himself. After the death of his wife , he is left very lonely and sexually deprived. His daughter who has moved away can only occasionally face time her father, which is not enough to make Mc henry feel less alone. He has previously lived a life of roles as a perfect husband and father “He learned to act like a father when his daughter was around, a husband when Marnie was around.” I question whether his fulfillment in these roles are genuine, as he is described as “acting” as these roles instead of being. It is still clear however, that he cared for Marnie because not only does he keep referencing to her throughout the story, he has seem to isolate himself socially without the presence of his family. In my opinion, his visits to the massage parlor acts as a distraction the loneliness and isolation he was feeling at home without his wife. The presence of another woman is helping him feel more alive as well as satisfying his sexual desires. He finally feels relief. “He didn’t know how many troubles he was carrying in his body.” He often questions his visits to the women and if what he does with them is morally correct, and has come to the conclusion that this experience may be something beautiful that he has shut himself away from his entire life. The story wraps up with him talking to his friend Adele, who was also a dear friend to Marnie. Visiting the massage parlor gives him hope that despite other thinking it may be wrong, it can be a new beginning to his life. After serving his wife and daughter, he is finally able to have his own satisfaction.
Michaela Teolis
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Good response. I especially like the “acting” comment. Try to pay a bit more attention to typos.
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“Happy Endings” written by Kevin Canty is about a man named McHenry, who finds himself alone after his wife dies, and his daughter moves to China. He is in need of companionship, so after overhearing a co-worker talk about it, he goes to a massage parlor that offers “happy endings.” At first, he feels guilty, but the more he goes, the more he realized that maybe it wasn’t wrong. Although, throughout the book, he always wonders what other people would think if they caught him there. While to him it’s a “blessing,” he understands that, to others, it was wrong. When McHenry goes to the Christian Singles group, to the end of the story, I’m confused. I don’t understand what Adele, or their day bird watching has to do with his trips to the massage parlor. Maybe, he feels guilty because of his trips to the massage parlor so he goes to the Christian Singles group to ease his guilt, and being around Adele reminds him of his wife, and he enjoys that, so he spends the day with her. I would think, that being reminded of his wife would make him feel guilty about his trips to the massage parlor, but the next day, he goes. “His life was about to change.” I have no idea how his life would change. Does it have something to do with him getting a different girl at the massage parlor? Did it have something to do with Adele? Maybe both of them.
-Shanna King .
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I love your questions at the end. Really great. You ask some great questions that, I think, lead you to some surprising discoveries. Keep asking these questions.
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McHenry, at the age of 56, has been living a lonely since his wife Marnie died five years before that; with his daughter moving to China for work. The ending of this story stirs up the question of “Why was McHenry life about to change?”. Perhaps, this is the moment McHenry finally realizes and figures a way to move on from the death of the love of his life. An indication of the main character not being able to get over his wife’s death is when he said to Adele, after she asked him if he felt better: “I don’t know … see the point of keeping things going” (page 40). Additionally, McHenry constantly show the signs of a man needing the love from a woman. He did something he’d never done in the past, going to a massage and getting ‘special treatment’. He gets emotionally attached very easily when Tracy starts touching him sexual, pleasing him. He then has some feeling just by spending some time alone with Adele. Even the company of Flower made him feel emotionally good. Personally, this story can be interpreted as the story of a man being lost for 5 years. McHenry did not know how to come to terms with his wife death. It was only when he decided to get out of his comfort zone, doing something new, meeting other woman. This is when he finds out that the only way forward is to find another woman to be there for him. And when he does find a new woman, that is the happy ending he needs.
James Dinh
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Some great ideas here. I love the idea of him “needing the love from a woman.” Lots to explore there. But, it raises the question. Will finding a new woman actually bring him happiness?
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The short story “Happy Ending” by Kevin Canty tells the story of a man named McHenry who feels lonely after the passing of his wife and after his daughter moves away. He was used to always having someone around, when all of a sudden he finds himself completely alone and he desperately tries to find a way to cope with his loneliness and sadness. The story shows how much a death can affect a person in such a way that the person feels completely empty, lost, and even after five years McHenry still feels as if “the death had never happened” (32). So he looked for comfort anywhere he could and found a massage place that reminded him of emotions he hadn’t felt in a long time: “[His worries] just kind of stopped being there after a while. He felt light and free” (35). All of the worries that were only making him more isolated on top of the loneliness made him feel trapped, but this gave him relief. However, although it made him feel good he was constantly thinking if what he was doing was right. This makes me wonder if he knew about what kind of place it was from the beginning or not. I am not quite sure if I understand what he was searching for when he went there. He didn’t think it was wrong, but the fact that he gave a false name and didn’t want anyone to find out shows us that he didn’t truly believe it was right. At the beginning of the story, he still had not accepted his wife’s death and he was still mourning her; he was still stuck in the past. On the other hand, we can see in the last paragraph that something within him changes and he is finally truly free. As he lay back on the hood of his truck he didn’t care anymore if someone might see him: “It didn’t matter. His life was about to change” (43). As he lays there we can see that he breaks free from that isolation he felt and doesn’t loathe his loneliness anymore; he feels good. He didn’t have to act like a specific person around is daughter or his wife, he was free to be himself.
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“He doesn’t loathe his loneliness anymore” is a really profound statement. A great idea to have reached.
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The story is about a man trying to find himself.Our protagonist named McHenry had lived a life always trying to please others, never caring about his own feelings for fifty-nine years. He is a qualified worker,son, father, husband, neighbor and friend. “He always did what people expected him to or maybe even more.”(32). At the age of fifty-nine, his wife had gone five years, his daughter lived in China, he was alone. Even worse, his business went bad. It seemed like there’s nothing happy in his life. And as we know, seeking for happiness is our instinct. Occasionally, he learned about a massage place, with curiosity, he went to massage for the first time. It’s the most embarrassing but happiest experience in his past life. Then something changed inside. He had doubted himself and felt uncertain about right and wrong , he’s at lost. After that, he and Adele, his wife’s good friend, went birdwatching. When they watching some geese and swans mating, he finally realized sex is the basic need, it’s a happy thing, and he really need sex, he just repressed his need and feelings. “Okay, McHenry thought. This is worth it.All this beautiful life,this excess,generosity.”(42). When he went to massage again,” it’s the first time he was’t trying to please anybody but himself.”(43). This time, he put down his burden, enjoy this moment, and finally get satisfied. His mentality turned to be positive, his life was about to change, he would never live for others but for himself. He felt real happy inside, that’s the “happy ending”.
Huikun Zhang
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Good response. Try not to summarize the whole story. Instead, pick one or two moments to explore in detail. “And as we know, seeking for happiness is our instinct.” Is it, actually? Interesting thought.
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In Kevin Canty’s short story “Happy Endings”, McHenry’s life is about to change in the ending because he has finally accepted himself and he is ready to move on with his life. We see in the beginning of the story he is insecure with his social surroundings because in his life, he could never make decisions without thinking of the affect on another person. This unhappy approach to life is initially seen in the story where the author explains “He learned to act like a father … Marnie needed a husband” (Canty 32). As McHenry starts to realize what sort of fulfillment he truly needs to move on with life, he nervously tries out the massage parlor. This explores how he needs a change from his usual routine to understand who he truly is. Although McHenry realizes what change can bring him emotionally, he also recognizes that he just needs a sensation that only he can experience to achieve some sort of spiritual fulfillment. With seeing Tracy, Adele and remembering past memories of Marnie, he understands that it is not only the people that bring him happiness but also himself. This is seen where he feels that seeing Flower at the Bangkok Sunshine instead of Tracy is a test for himself and discovers that there is not a particular person he needs to see to bring him happiness (Canty 42, 43). Throughout the short story, the reader sees McHenry experiment with different social groups and new encounters to understand how he can accept himself to be happy in life.
Jessica Rupnik
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Excellent response. I love this idea: “he also recognizes that he just needs a sensation that only he can experience to achieve some sort of spiritual fulfillment.” Then you back it up with a specific example of how you see this in the story. Nicely done.
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Happy Endings by Kevin Canty
In this short American story, ‘‘Happy Endings’’ written by Kevin Canty, the main character, Bill McHenry, goes through a complete introspection. It is at the same time an emotionally but also a mental transformation within his life. Indeed, his life was about the change at the end of the story with the arrival of spring, “Spring had come…it was warm…’’ (43), a symbol that used to be an heavyhearted moment for him due to the loss of his loving wife who died from cancer five years ago. (32) In fact, Spring used to be the worst moment of the year since everything reminded him of his wife whom he had so dearly cherished ‘‘Easter Sunday with Marnie in her flowery dresses…’’ (34)
His experiences with Tracy at the Bangkok Sunshine as well as his conversation and road trip with Adele, that used to be the best friend of Marnie, made him realize a bunch of things and reached one specific concept. In fact, with all his experiences, his open-mindedness has widened considerably and Bill was able to finally reach his interior peace that he did not have since the death of his wife and since the departure of his daughter, Caroline, in another country.
McHenry realized that he needed to let things go in order to be in peace and to put himself in the first place which it is something that he never did before.
His life was about to change as well as the flowers and the trees that were ready to bloom and show their true and beautiful color, as well as Bill McHenry, was. Now, Spring has a totally different meaning than what it used to be. ‘‘All his life McHenry had lived with someone watching him ’’ (32) but after several years of being watched by other people, it was now the time to look after himself and Spring never felt so good. (32)
Marie-Clause Champoux
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You have a lot of good ideas here. It’s not totally clear how they all fit together. Try to put forward one coherent idea with these responses.
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Mc Henry has spent all his life conforming himself to the image society wanted to see of him. If someone wanted to see him be gentle, he was gentle. If someone wanted to see him work, he worked. His whole life, he had at least one person, be it his wife, his daughter, his clients, that he perceived as looking over his shoulder. This comportment wasn’t instinctive , it was learned, as the narrator indicates it at the beginning of this short story : “[…]he learned to look like he was working when he worked. He learned to act like a father when his daughter was around[…]”(32)
When his wife died, and later when his daughter started living abroad, he had less people to create an image for. Later, when got out of the well drilling business, he found himself, he found himself with no one at all to conform to.
When his libido brought him to the “ Happy ending” massage parlor, he did, for the fierst time, something that didn’t fit with the image of himself he had created. After a short internal conflict, he suddenly realised his facade might have prevented him from fully experimenting life : “what if they were wrong , the watchers?[…]Had he been mistaken his whole life?”(38).
The change in his way of thinking slowly crystallises itself throughout the rest of the story . I think that the reason why the description at the end of “ Happy endings” sounds so positive is because his life is about to change in a positive way, since he managed to free himself from the mental prison he had built during his whole life. He will be able to do what makes him happy without having to mould his behaviour on the image others want to see him as.
Simon Perras-Dyotte
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Great response. I like the idea of him having to unlearn what he has learned.
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In Kevin Canty’s “Happy Endings”, the reader encounters the main character of McHenry in a particularly decisive moment of his life. The fifty-nine-year-old has lived a simple and unassuming life until this day where, faced with the realization that he has nobody left to watch over his every move, he decides to get out of a long career in the digging business. Up until this point, he has dutifully conformed to outside pressures to do certain things, avoid other things, and behave in a certain way as “he [always] did what people expected him to or maybe a little more” (32). McHenry did not question why or why not he ought to do things in this particular way and he was always concerned with keeping up a dutiful appearance in his work, his family life, and his marriage. As time passes by and he is exploring his newfound freedom, he starts to discover the world outside others’ expectations for him, along with what seems to be an ever-growing multitude of guilty pleasures which this new world holds. The more he enjoys this break with conformity, the more he begins to question if he should even feel guilty about these things in the first place, and even why he has not always lived in such a way that fulfils his own desires and needs. He progresses from concerning himself with the possibility of someone driving by and recognizing his car to asking himself “what if [going to the massage parlor] was not wrong?” as he had always been told (37).
The springtime imagery at the end of the story is meant to represent a new beginning for McHenry as he blossoms into his sense of self determination. His life will change along with his outlook as he navigates through a world in which he increasingly frees himself of the weight of being judged by others by finding happiness in discovering his own desires and acting according to his own will.
-Anna Romanowski
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Your comments about the story are true and astute. In the future, try to concentrate on one or two specific moments from the story, rather than making broad statements about the story.
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As much as McHenry loved his daughter and his wife, he never did anything that was for his own needs or pleasure. He always wanted to be the right example of a good loving husband for his wife and good father for his daughter. “He learned to act like a father when his daughter was around, to look like a husband when Marnie needed a husband” (Canty, 32). When his wife passed away and his daughter moved away to China; McHenry discovered new things in life that he hadn’t before; which was pleasing himself. Even though he still had feelings of sadness, he also felt free of doing whatever he wanted and no one to tell him not to or that it was wrong. The massage place he would go to, the Christian singles meetings, and the trips he would take with Adele were things he wasn’t able to do as a married man. Even though this wasn’t what he had in mind when he thought about ‘happy endings’ in the beginning, “What if this was not wrong?” (Canty, 37). it then started to feel right instead of wrong. He started thinking about himself first; which he wasn’t able to do before with his family around. McHenry as lonely as he was, had to come up with a way not to feel so lonely in the end. Even though something horrible had happened, he couldn’t stay miserable and alone for the rest of his life. He had to move on and feel happy and alive again. Drowning yourself in sorrow won’t help you in any way or make the situation better. McHenry picked himself up, tried to stay strong, moved on and found light in the darkest moments; no matter how hard it may have been for him. Life always goes on and we need to learn to move forward with it and find pleasure in the littlest things instead of feeling sorry for ourselves in difficult situations.
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Your comments about the story are true and astute. In the future, try to concentrate on one or two specific moments from the story, rather than making broad statements about the story.
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In the short story “Happy Endings” by Kevin Canty, the main character has difficulty taking care of himself and living his life the way he wants to. He has always been the type of man who regularly puts others first, which makes it hard for him to take care of himself.
After his wife passes away, his daughter moves far away from home, and his shop closes down, he is left alone. This makes him feel lonely and depressed. Yet it makes him realize that he has isolated himself from all the joyful things in life because he has never done anything for his own good. Which is why, he decides to start changing his ways. He starts off by getting a massage, which reminds him of all the pleasures in life he has been missing out on. Tracy the masseuse, helps him relax, and let go of the negativity. By saying the simplest things like, “It’s going to be OK.”, little by little, she changes McHenrys view on life, and helps him unwind. He starts off uncomfortable and unsure if what he’s doing is right or wrong but he gains his confidence and he likes his new way of living. He starts to gain a positive perspective towards life, which is why at the end of the short story even the sunlight feels like gift to him. His life is about to change forever because he starts thinking about himself and he realizes that life is full of beautiful things to offer, and he has many other things to experience. He is finally ready to embrace his own life, live the way he wants to and to be happy.
Nareh Sarkissian
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You have the right idea with the “It’s going to be OK” quote. Interesting moment to highlight. But, on the whole, you have not spoken specifically enough any moment in this story.
Minus
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The short story “Happy Endings” is about a man whom his wife has died and has lost his daughter to live out her life. He struggles to find happiness and is stuck in the monotonous lifestyle that brings him no joy. He struggles to find things to do, alone and bored of himself he embarks on a journey of new meaning.
Mchenry is a greatly relatable figure, in terms of the things he has gone through and the way he composes himself. He has pushed through the death of his wife and needs to allow the departure of his daughter to seek a life of her own. Many people need to live through similar events and go through depressive phases. The way he composes himself at the massage parlour, ““McHenry tried to make himself relax. But the body doesn’t lie, and he tensed at the touch of her hand on his shoulder.” This shows how he is no longer use to the tough of another human being. This disconnect to the world has made him a sad person in search of new things.
The main explanation of why he entered the parlour in the first place was a bit of a what do i have to loose explanation; which in part is true due to the fact he has nothing left and is searching for meaning and of things of interest. When he speaks with Adele, he gets a realization that he should no longer be trapped within the constraints of his previous life, but rather its time to embrace the what the future holds and expand his horizon of life and begin a new journey into the mingling world.
Mathew de Marchie
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Please come and speak to me about this response when you get a chance.
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In Kevin Canty’s short story “Happy Endings”, the protagonist, McHenry, deals with the loss, both of his wife who passed away and of his daughter who moved far away from him. For the first time in his life, he is experiencing solitude and the story illustrates his development. McHenry’s loneliness leads him to put himself first and to do the things that make him happy. This is portrayed in his personal reflections and his mental development throughout the story.
The protagonist goes to massage appointments at a salon people from work were talking about. He finds his appointments there pleasant and relaxing. He is able to get out of his body and think about nothing but himself. The narrator says, “He knew he’d never do a thing like Tracy if he had to explain it to anybody.” (37-38) This passage illustrates the shift in mindset of the protagonist. Had he been in his old living situation, he would not have gone to get the massage because he did not want to have to tell anyone about it. However, now that he is alone, he has the opportunity to do these things for himself without having to justify or talk about it to anyone. Furthermore, McHenry has a realization when he is driving with Adele and he has an experience that brings back very old memories. The narrator says, “this was like something our o his childhood, a distant memory” (40) In this passage, the protagonist is referring to being in the passenger’s seat and simply relaxing and appreciating the view while driving. The last memory he has of this is from childhood. This illustrates the fact that when his wife and daughter were in the picture, he did things for them and put his comfort and happiness second. Now that they are gone, McHenry can enjoy life as he wants without feeling the pressure his family brought on.
Moreover, the ending of this short story is very positive. The use of this type of vocabulary symbolizes McHenry’s decision to do what makes him happy. The future seems bright for him and he knows there are exciting things happening because he is no longer limiting himself. This is significant because he is a very trapped character who previously always followed what everyone wanted and expected of him, but he is finally letting go and setting himself free.
Mireille Jauvin
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Good response. I like how you hone in on specific moments of change and expand on them. For future responses, you don’t need an intro and a conclusion. Not sure if that’s what you were thinking with the three paragraphs, but these are informal responses, not mini-essays.
Plus.
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Tabiesha Thompson
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In the story “Happy Endings” by Kevin Canty, McHenry is a business and family man who lives in a small community were everyone knows each other. Because of this, he tries to keep up a good role of what a respectable father and husband should be like. He has lived his life worrying about what others may think of him, and so he lived a life trying to maintain a good image to others. After he lost his wife and his daughter moved abroad, he decided to try new and exciting things out of his comfort zone to help him move on with his lonely life, especially after the death of his wife. Being a man, McHenry still had his needs and went in search of ways to satisfy them and to help take his mind off of his beloved wife. He discovered the massage parlor, where he meets a massage therapist he grew fond of and wonder what it will be like with someone like her. Mc went on out on one or two occasion besides his trip to the massage parlor. The most important one was the one with Miss Adele, his late friend wife. On this outing, he learns about her crazy husband. McHenry came to the realization that life is funny and too delicate to be waste. This made him decided to spread his wings and break free of his old life. He realize that he had one life to life and that it was time for him to live his life for himself and stop worrying about what others may think. After all, he was single and his own man. This was the change that was about to take place.
Tabiesha Thompson
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Good response, but try to focus specifically on one or two key moments from the story, and dissect those.
Minus.
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In the story Happy Endings by Kevin Canty brings the readers in the life of the main character McHenry and how he goes from basically being controlled all the time to being independent and doing things that he thinks are wrong but should still go for it. When it comes down to the prompt which describes the ending of the story in a very positive imagery, Canty writes that, “his life was about to change” (Canty 43). After reading this story I think his life is going to change in the way that McHenry has finally escaped his isolated cage and broke free and is finally going to experience new things for once and just be independent especially after all his trips to Bangkok Sunshine where he meets a young lady who he get massaged by and doesn’t know if he really likes her in that way. At the beginning of the story Canty explains how much McHenry does for other people already showing signs that he’s under control. “He did what people expected him to or maybe a little more. He always tried for more” (Canty 32). He then realizes that he’s starting to become fed up with what people expect him to do so he starts to increase his independency by thinking of things to do but also second thinks it because it’s considered wrong. McHenry then decides to start being independent by going to a massage parlor where a young girl named Tracy gives him a massage but since he never had the feeling of being massaged liked that, he starts thinking about his actions. “This should have been relaxing but McHenry got more and more agitated in his need. Did he need to ask? How would he go about asking? What were the words, what was the code? She must see. She must know” (Canty 36). As he gets more comfortable in life, he just chooses not to care about others’ thoughts anymore and does his own thing. That’s when it’s recognized that his life was about change.
Brandon Marshall
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These are due before class.
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