Happy ever After?
Nov. 22nd, 2011 11:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_sn0wygoose"Why does, 'HAPPY EVER AFTER', start with death and tragedy"? Quote from T. Myers
My dearest loved and I have started a funny tradition at our home, before we leave, we wish each other 'a HAPPY EVER AFTER'; from the traditional closing line from the Brother’s Grim Fairy Tales, And they lived happily ever after. It was prompted by one day I jokingly wished her as she left for work, the old Roman Army’s salutation, "MAY YOU DIE WITH HONOR". She replied, "I want my happy ever after", so I replied, "May you have a HAPPY----EVER AFTER!" and this stuck.
That was until last night….
While giving my dearest a back-rup, her mind drifted into introspection and began considering all the Walt Disney Movies she has ever seen in her life. And came to the realization of one odd string in each story - every, HAPPY EVER AFTER, start with death and tragedy? - and thus the top quote and her exclamation to me, "Why does happy ever after start with death and tragedy?" Yes, an odd time for reflection, but she did have a good point. And one I had no answers for.
Think about it for just moment, I’m sure you can find plenty of examples. Every Walt Disney story has some form of tragedy within the story, or involves a character within the story dying or dead which forms the protagonist’s premise for their actions.
Some of my examples include Bambi’s Mother is killed and the forest catches fire, Nemo’s Mother and eggs are killed and he too is almost killed by a fishing net, Snow White and Cinderella have tragic lives after the death of their Mother, Aladdin is poor thanks to the death of his parents and left for dead by the evil Jafar, Lightning McQueen is locked up in Jail and loses his biggest race.
And these are the happy tales with lush soundtracks and smiling / kissing characters at the end of the movie. In an interesting side note: In the original Brother’s Grim story of Cinderella, the Step-mother is put to death for her cruelty by forced to dance in Red-Hot Iron shoes – yes, emotionally satisfying, but still exemplifies the premise for happy ever after from death and tragedy.
"BIT OFF MORE THAN I CAN CHEW" Frank Sinatra – "My Way"
I was mulling over this conversation with my love, at Midnight, with my 200 pages of reading for my paper due Thursday, my German textbook for my test next Tuesday, my Russian presentation materials for next Monday, my itinerary for both internments this week, and my grocery list for this week celebrations. It’s really easy to let settle into my mind the fact that life is full of tragedy and easily to fall into despair; to think Hey, where’s my happy ever after too? – especially when I’m listening to Frank Sinatra’s "My Way" on my stereo.
I wanted to say to the stereo, "Thanks, old Blue Eyes, is this the part where you get me pie-eyed in the private lounge of the Sands Hotel?"
And, I swear I heard him say through the stereo speakers, "Pally, if anyone needed a drink, it's you!"
After ensuring my sanity was in-tact, just my imagination needed some airing, I did the only reasonable think I could think of….I took a break, went up to the market and purchased a bottle of Coke-a-cola from Mexico and planned to have a drink at the Sands with Franky. If anything will keep my whit but make me mellow, this is it!
So with bottle in hand and me in my bar area, I turned on Frank again in the stereo and we commenced to drinking and talking. The lights a low as you would find in any Bar in any corner of the world, the music softly playing like you’d find on any late night, and my imagination was taking me to the corner table at the Sands Hotel. I wish you could have seen my imagination, but since you couldn’t….
Here’s a rough transcription of the conversation:
Frank - Look Pal, we all got our problems. Some we didn’t ask for, some we asked for.
Me – You said a mouthful, brother! But God, what’s wrong with wantin happy ever after?
Frank – Nottin’ wrong with it, but yous gatta go through a lota (redact) to gets to it; you gatta.
Me – Uh?
Frank – Look Pally, its simple. You can choose to be a bum, or do it your way. Just know whats important to yous and do it your way. Got it? Cheers!
Me – Yeah, Cheers Pal!
MAN VERSUS FATE Premise to Greek Tragedy
And I must admit, Frank had a point; a large universal point. And I was returned back into my own bar in my own home and into my own conscious. I looked from the Bar into my Library and glanced over some of the titles on the shelves: Greek Literature, Grim Fairy Tales, even a few Walt Disney printed stories.
Old Blue Eye's was right: Every great story of overcoming, from the Greek’s premise of Man versus their fate, to the real Brothers Grim Tales, to Walt Disney, started with either a wrong choice by the hero or the antagonist, or the situation forced upon the hero which included death or tragedy.
But it’s what the hero did with their misfortune that made the story into a happy ever after – they went through (redact) to get it. Instead of an Ibsen or Tolstoy and became a bum.
It all comes down to me - Do I want a happy ending? Oh, yeah, I want a happy ending, and I want to do it my way. What’s important, and on my terms. The rest will sort itself out. And that means, sometimes you got to chew it up and spit it out.
AND THEY LIVED, HAPPILY EVER AFTER The Brothers Grim
So, the next time I wish my loved, 'a happy ever after', and receive, 'but why does it mean death and tragedy?' I’ll tell her, "it because you must face death with honor before you have your happy ever after."
And if she looks confused, I’ll just tell her to have her drink with Frank; he’ll set her straight.
My dearest loved and I have started a funny tradition at our home, before we leave, we wish each other 'a HAPPY EVER AFTER'; from the traditional closing line from the Brother’s Grim Fairy Tales, And they lived happily ever after. It was prompted by one day I jokingly wished her as she left for work, the old Roman Army’s salutation, "MAY YOU DIE WITH HONOR". She replied, "I want my happy ever after", so I replied, "May you have a HAPPY----EVER AFTER!" and this stuck.
That was until last night….
While giving my dearest a back-rup, her mind drifted into introspection and began considering all the Walt Disney Movies she has ever seen in her life. And came to the realization of one odd string in each story - every, HAPPY EVER AFTER, start with death and tragedy? - and thus the top quote and her exclamation to me, "Why does happy ever after start with death and tragedy?" Yes, an odd time for reflection, but she did have a good point. And one I had no answers for.
Think about it for just moment, I’m sure you can find plenty of examples. Every Walt Disney story has some form of tragedy within the story, or involves a character within the story dying or dead which forms the protagonist’s premise for their actions.
Some of my examples include Bambi’s Mother is killed and the forest catches fire, Nemo’s Mother and eggs are killed and he too is almost killed by a fishing net, Snow White and Cinderella have tragic lives after the death of their Mother, Aladdin is poor thanks to the death of his parents and left for dead by the evil Jafar, Lightning McQueen is locked up in Jail and loses his biggest race.
And these are the happy tales with lush soundtracks and smiling / kissing characters at the end of the movie. In an interesting side note: In the original Brother’s Grim story of Cinderella, the Step-mother is put to death for her cruelty by forced to dance in Red-Hot Iron shoes – yes, emotionally satisfying, but still exemplifies the premise for happy ever after from death and tragedy.
"BIT OFF MORE THAN I CAN CHEW" Frank Sinatra – "My Way"
I was mulling over this conversation with my love, at Midnight, with my 200 pages of reading for my paper due Thursday, my German textbook for my test next Tuesday, my Russian presentation materials for next Monday, my itinerary for both internments this week, and my grocery list for this week celebrations. It’s really easy to let settle into my mind the fact that life is full of tragedy and easily to fall into despair; to think Hey, where’s my happy ever after too? – especially when I’m listening to Frank Sinatra’s "My Way" on my stereo.
I wanted to say to the stereo, "Thanks, old Blue Eyes, is this the part where you get me pie-eyed in the private lounge of the Sands Hotel?"
And, I swear I heard him say through the stereo speakers, "Pally, if anyone needed a drink, it's you!"
After ensuring my sanity was in-tact, just my imagination needed some airing, I did the only reasonable think I could think of….I took a break, went up to the market and purchased a bottle of Coke-a-cola from Mexico and planned to have a drink at the Sands with Franky. If anything will keep my whit but make me mellow, this is it!
So with bottle in hand and me in my bar area, I turned on Frank again in the stereo and we commenced to drinking and talking. The lights a low as you would find in any Bar in any corner of the world, the music softly playing like you’d find on any late night, and my imagination was taking me to the corner table at the Sands Hotel. I wish you could have seen my imagination, but since you couldn’t….
Here’s a rough transcription of the conversation:
Frank - Look Pal, we all got our problems. Some we didn’t ask for, some we asked for.
Me – You said a mouthful, brother! But God, what’s wrong with wantin happy ever after?
Frank – Nottin’ wrong with it, but yous gatta go through a lota (redact) to gets to it; you gatta.
Me – Uh?
Frank – Look Pally, its simple. You can choose to be a bum, or do it your way. Just know whats important to yous and do it your way. Got it? Cheers!
Me – Yeah, Cheers Pal!
MAN VERSUS FATE Premise to Greek Tragedy
And I must admit, Frank had a point; a large universal point. And I was returned back into my own bar in my own home and into my own conscious. I looked from the Bar into my Library and glanced over some of the titles on the shelves: Greek Literature, Grim Fairy Tales, even a few Walt Disney printed stories.
Old Blue Eye's was right: Every great story of overcoming, from the Greek’s premise of Man versus their fate, to the real Brothers Grim Tales, to Walt Disney, started with either a wrong choice by the hero or the antagonist, or the situation forced upon the hero which included death or tragedy.
But it’s what the hero did with their misfortune that made the story into a happy ever after – they went through (redact) to get it. Instead of an Ibsen or Tolstoy and became a bum.
It all comes down to me - Do I want a happy ending? Oh, yeah, I want a happy ending, and I want to do it my way. What’s important, and on my terms. The rest will sort itself out. And that means, sometimes you got to chew it up and spit it out.
AND THEY LIVED, HAPPILY EVER AFTER The Brothers Grim
So, the next time I wish my loved, 'a happy ever after', and receive, 'but why does it mean death and tragedy?' I’ll tell her, "it because you must face death with honor before you have your happy ever after."
And if she looks confused, I’ll just tell her to have her drink with Frank; he’ll set her straight.
