In this simple, somewhat old-fashioned novel in which happiness is demonstrated by young girls successfully marrying, the ending of the novel is much more preferable to the beginning. The novel ends, of course, with Elizabeth marrying Mr. Darcy in a state of happiness. The beginning of their relationship, however, was characterized by a sense of tension and perhaps even mutual dislike on the part of both parties, as Mr. Darcy refuses to dance with Elizabeth due to his displeasure with his surroundings. However, much as the narrator in "Happen Endings" alludes to, the subsequent events that occur after this initial one are what set up the happy ending. Mr. Darcy is eventually attracted to Elizabeth's intelligence and caring, compassionate nature. In fact, the ending of this novel shows how the pair are able to overcome a number of obstacles, even Elizabeth's initial refusal of Mr. Darcy's proposal -- all of which enable them to understand each other better at the novel's conclusion.

Even in a novel that demonstrates characteristics of a tragedy, such as Edith Warton's the House of Mirth, the ending is more preferable to the beginning, for the simple fact that it allows for a degree relevant to the reader that does not exist anywhere else in the novel. This sort of understanding between the characters, which actually occurs when the protagonist, Miss Lily Bart, dies, is similar to the understanding facilitated between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth at the conclusion of Pride...

The following quotation, in which Lawrence Seldon has finally figured out that he is in love with Miss Bart yet finds her dead, demonstrates the level of understanding that both the former and the reader have at the conclusion of the House of Mirth. "He knelt by the bed and bent over her…and in the silence there passed between them the word which made all clear" (Wharton). This quotation demonstrates the clarity and understanding that Seldon has of his feelings for Lily and the circumstances that surrounded her. He did not have this clarity at the beginning of the book. Rather, it took all of the incidents that occurred after the book's beginning to grant this moment of clarity between the two lovers -- which is why endings are more preferable to beginnings.
As a look at Pride and Prejudice and the House of Mirth indicates, endings are more preferable to beginnings. This fact is largely due to the notion that endings rely upon all the events that take place after beginnings to grant a greater sense of understanding and, ultimately, closure, both to the readers and to the characters portrayed in works of literature.

Works Cited

Atwood, Margaret. "Happy Endings." 1983. http://users.ipfw.edu/ruflethe/endings.htm

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Barnes and Noble. 2004. Print.

Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. Online Literature. 1905. http://www.online-literature.com/wharton/house_mirth/