According to Fay Weldon, those writers who receive the greatest response for their literature are those who have a "happy ending."" This happy ending is characterized not by some fortune of good events at the end but by "spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation."" Based on these criteria, both Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver and All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy have a "happy ending,"" however they conclude very differently.
In Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Dreams, Codi spends the majority of her adult life searching for somewhere she belongs and searching for some source of stability. Codi's life is constantly juxtaposed throughout the novel with her sister Hallie, who is younger than her however who has already started her life and knows exactly what place she holds in the world. This juxtaposition highlights Codi's indecisiveness and lack of personal purpose or worth in life. Codi's relationships at the end of the book that she holds with Carlo and Loyd mirrors her personality and the struggle she goes through during the book, and the conclusion of the relationship reflects Codi's "moral reconciliation."" When Codi leaves Carlo to return to Grace it is a big step for her because she is essentially returning to her past and almost starting over, as her life outside of Grace had never really begun. When she meets Loyd for the first time since high school she begins to feel all of the emotions she recalls feeling when she was in high school. Loyd feels the same way and for the first time, Codi begins to emotionally attach herself to someone who feels the same for her. When Codi becomes afraid of this attachment she leaves Grace and goes back to Carlo. To Codi, Carlo is "safe."" There is no risk of getting hurt because Codi doesn't feel anything towards Carlo, therefore there is no vulnerability and Codi isn't forced to express herself. At this point in the novel, Codi hasn't fully developed into a stable adult and her insecurity concerning her relationship with Loyd as well as her decision to return to Carlo reflects this.