Weaned on Hollywood endings, Americans now face a messy one

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “I don’t know that I see a specific ending,” says Erica Rhodes, a comedian in Los Angeles who has found unique ways to perform through the pandemic. “If I can think there’s some sort of arc, some sort of blueprint that can help me understand my journey, it helps me find meaning in my day to day.” NAVIGATING TOWARD THE END Children have been a particular focus of this kind of attention over the past year as adults in their lives help them navigate toward a positive ending to the pandemic without offering false hope. “So, `Where did you go for remembrance day or Pandemicpalooza or whatever?’, telling that story for younger generations years later can be a communal moment.” In the end, as it were, managing expectations of a pandemic conclusion is an exercise in deferral, in coping with day-to-day life without losing sight of the big things that might get better. The first comes from the little narrator of “When the Pandemic Ends,” a 2020 children’s book by Iesha Mason: “I’ll be so happy once we make it out of this crisis,” she says.