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Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen’s Dance With Darkness
What if Mr. Darcy never got his happy ending? Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, originally titled “First Impressions,” almost ended without the romantic reconciliation we know and love. The author initially considered a much darker conclusion where Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy would remain forever separated by their pride and prejudice.
The novel became “the blueprint for romantic comedy” with its eventual happy ending, but this wasn’t always the plan. The union of Elizabeth and Darcy was meant by Austen as a symbol of the union of the national and regional elites in England. The romantic ending we cherish today was likely influenced by the literary conventions of the time period, which favored hopeful conclusions over bitter realism.
Great Expectations – Charles Dickens’ Reluctant Revision
The ending set aside by Dickens has Pip, who is still single, briefly see Estella in London; after becoming Bentley Drummle’s widow, she has remarried. It appealed to Dickens due to its originality. Following comments by Edward Bulwer-Lytton that the ending was too sad, Dickens rewrote it prior to publication.
Bulwer-Lytton advised Dickens against this downbeat ending, stating his reasons so well that Dickens “resumed the wheel, and taken another turn at it.” Dickens revised the ending for publication so that Pip meets Estella in the ruins of Satis House, she is a widow and he is single. His changes continued even after publication, because Dickens further changed the last sentence in the amended 1868 version, making it ambiguous whether Pip and Estella marry or Pip remains single.
1984 – George Orwell’s Even Bleaker Vision
George Orwell’s masterpiece 1984 already presents one of literature’s most devastating endings, but the author initially considered something even more horrifying. In early drafts, Winston Smith would have completely surrendered to Big Brother without any trace of his former rebellious spirit remaining.
The published version still shows Winston broken and defeated, but Orwell included subtle hints of his earlier humanity. The famous final line about loving Big Brother came after extensive revision, with Orwell ultimately deciding to leave readers with some ambiguity about whether Winston’s soul was entirely crushed. This small mercy makes the ending slightly less absolute in its despair.
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Title Changes
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s American masterpiece went through numerous transformations before reaching its final form. Originally titled “Trimalchio in West Egg,” the novel featured a much more explicit and lengthy ending that included extensive backstory about Gatsby’s father attending the funeral.
Fitzgerald kept the father’s appearance in the final version but dramatically condensed the material. The famous closing lines about being “borne back ceaselessly into the past” were actually a late addition to the manuscript. These poetic final sentences, now considered among the most beautiful in American literature, nearly didn’t exist at all.
Frankenstein – Mary Shelley’s Graphic Alternative
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was written when she was just 18 years old, published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818. In 1816, Mary, Percy, John Polidori, and Lord Byron had a competition to see who would write the best horror story, and after thinking for days, Shelley was inspired to write Frankenstein.
In her first draft, Shelley wrote a much more graphic and disturbing ending where the monster commits suicide by self-immolation in vivid detail. The published version leaves the creature’s fate ambiguous as he drifts away on an ice raft into the Arctic darkness. This change made the novel’s conclusion more haunting and mysterious rather than simply shocking.
A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway’s 47 Attempts
Ernest Hemingway was famously meticulous about his endings, but nowhere was this more evident than in “A Farewell to Arms.” The author wrote an astonishing 47 different endings before settling on Catherine Barkley’s tragic death in childbirth.
One draft had the baby survive while Catherine died, creating a bittersweet story of single fatherhood. Another version allowed both mother and child to live, offering readers a rare happy ending from Hemingway. The author ultimately chose the version that best served his themes of love, loss, and the randomness of fate during wartime.
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell’s Sequel Tease
Margaret Mitchell’s epic Civil War novel almost ended with Rhett Butler returning to Scarlett O’Hara, setting up what could have been a very different legacy for the characters. Mitchell seriously considered writing an ending where Rhett’s famous declaration of not giving a damn wasn’t his final word.
The alternative ending would have shown Scarlett successfully winning back Rhett’s affections, potentially setting up a sequel that Mitchell never wrote. Instead, she chose the more ambiguous conclusion that leaves readers wondering whether Scarlett’s determination to win him back will succeed. This uncertainty has kept readers debating the characters’ fates for decades.
The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemingway’s Tonal Shifts
Hemingway’s breakthrough novel “The Sun Also Rises” underwent significant revision in its final moments. The closing exchange between Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley originally carried a much more bitter and angry tone in early drafts.
The famous final line “Isn’t it pretty to think so?” was initially delivered with harsh sarcasm rather than the wistful melancholy of the published version. Hemingway’s revision changed the entire emotional register of the novel’s conclusion, transforming bitterness into something more complex and poignant. This subtle change affects how readers interpret the entire story.
The Stand – Stephen King’s Darker Despair
Stephen King’s apocalyptic epic “The Stand” featured an even more hopeless ending in its original manuscript. The uncut version showed Frannie and Stu facing greater despair and uncertainty about humanity’s future after the devastating plague.
King’s editors convinced him to slightly lighten the ending, though it remained grim by most standards. The published version offers a small glimmer of hope for rebuilding civilization, while the original ending suggested that humanity might be doomed to repeat its mistakes. The revision made the novel’s themes of good versus evil more balanced.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K. Rowling’s Ultimate Sacrifice
When asked before publication about the forthcoming book, Rowling stated that she could not change the ending even if she wanted, saying “These books have been plotted for such a long time, and for six books now, that they’re all leading a certain direction. So, I really can’t.” However, the author revealed she seriously considered killing off Ron Weasley during the writing process.
She said the last chapter of Deathly Hallows was written around 1990 as part of her earliest work on the series. The last sentence was originally something akin to “Only those who he loved could see his lightning scar,” but she changed it to “All was well” because she wanted it to be clear that Harry had triumphed over Voldemort. Rowling also had doubts about whether Harry himself should survive the final confrontation with Voldemort, though she ultimately decided his survival was essential to the story’s themes of love conquering death.
The Literary Domino Effect
These alternative endings reveal how differently we might remember these beloved classics. The influence of friends, editors, and market pressures shaped some of literature’s most memorable conclusions. The discussion between Dickens, Bulwer-Lytton and Forster has provided the basis for much discussion on Dickens’s underlying views for his famous novel.
Sometimes the pressure to satisfy readers’ expectations conflicts with an author’s artistic vision. Dickens seems to have been motivated, at least in part, by the desire to please his reading public with a happy ending. Yet these changes often created the endings we now consider perfect for their stories. The tension between artistic integrity and commercial appeal continues to influence how stories end, making these glimpses into alternative conclusions all the more fascinating.
What would literature be without Darcy and Elizabeth’s union, or with Pip remaining forever alone? Sometimes the road not taken makes us appreciate the path that was chosen. Or does it make you wonder what masterpieces we might have lost to editorial compromise?
Christian Wiedeck, all the way from Germany, loves music festivals, especially in the USA. His articles bring the excitement of these events to readers worldwide.
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