Endings and New Beginnings

Animals

Laura's repeated longing for an ending gives way to a life understood as a sequence of imperfect beginnings.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Fear of Endings Fear of Endings from "Animals". Fear of Endings Laura's hangover rules include avoiding news and parental phone calls because they might bring unbearable facts into view.

Fear of Endings from "Animals". Fear of Endings Laura's hangover rules include avoiding news and parental phone calls because they might bring unbearable facts into view.

Fear of Endings Laura's hangover rules include avoiding news and parental phone calls because they might bring unbearable facts into view. Self-Charming She and Tyler use jokes and routine to postpone thinking about endings, illness, and consequence. Significance The novel's humor begins as a defense against mortality, but gradually becomes a means of approaching it.

The Dream of the Future The Dream of the Future from "Animals". The Dream of the Future Laura and Jim plan a wedding while she wonders whether marriage will diminish their adventures.

The Dream of the Future from "Animals". The Dream of the Future Laura and Jim plan a wedding while she wonders whether marriage will diminish their adventures.

The Dream of the Future Laura and Jim plan a wedding while she wonders whether marriage will diminish their adventures. A Promise Under Pressure She loves Jim but feels the future taking on a fixed shape before she knows whether she can inhabit it. Significance The story distinguishes commitment from certainty and shows how a promise can become frightening when it closes other possibilities.

The Night Under the Bush The Night Under the Bush from "Animals". The Night Under the Bush Laura hides beneath a roadside bush, listening to traffic and wondering where her allies have gone.

The Night Under the Bush from "Animals". The Night Under the Bush Laura hides beneath a roadside bush, listening to traffic and wondering where her allies have gone.

The Night Under the Bush Laura hides beneath a roadside bush, listening to traffic and wondering where her allies have gone. A Pause in Motion She sees herself as still running, though she has reached no destination. Significance The moment makes the desire for escape look less like freedom than exhaustion.

The End of the Engagement The End of the Engagement from "Animals". The End of the Engagement Laura tells Jim that the dream of their relationship enchanted her, and does not agree to resume their life together.

The End of the Engagement from "Animals". The End of the Engagement Laura tells Jim that the dream of their relationship enchanted her, and does not agree to resume their life together.

The End of the Engagement Laura tells Jim that the dream of their relationship enchanted her, and does not agree to resume their life together. Grief Without Certainty The answer ends the planned wedding but does not give her a complete explanation of what comes next. Significance An ending becomes a necessary opening, even when it feels more like loss than liberation.

A Series of Beginnings A Series of Beginnings from "Animals". A Series of Beginnings Laura enters her own home after leaving Mel's wedding and settles beside the rescued Zuzu and her writing desk.

A Series of Beginnings from "Animals". A Series of Beginnings Laura enters her own home after leaving Mel's wedding and settles beside the rescued Zuzu and her writing desk.

A Series of Beginnings Laura enters her own home after leaving Mel's wedding and settles beside the rescued Zuzu and her writing desk. No Final Resolution She feels belonging without claiming that grief, loneliness, or uncertainty have disappeared. Significance A life made of beginnings can still be a life; Laura's next chapter starts without a grand promise.

At the opening

During the engagement

After the Yeats lecture

At the Circus Tavern

Six months after the breakup