Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: the initial situation, conflict, complication, climax, suspense, denouement, and conclusion. Great writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add some spice.
Samuel Beckett was notorious for breaking with tradition. His belief that human existence was ultimately meaningless and purposeless expressed itself in his plays through his nonsensical and cyclical plot structures. After all, if life had no meaning shouldn't theater mirror its randomness and absurdity? On that note, here is our attempt at fitting Happy Days into a coherent structure. We bet Winnie would appreciate it.
Exposition (Initial Situation)
Sun, Sand, Stasis (and the Bell from Hell)
The play starts off without much happening in an alien environment with a hellishly hot sun and an equally annoying bell. Our protagonist, Winnie, is buried up to her chest in a mound of sand. No biggie, we think; she has hands, she can dig herself out of the mound, right? Wrong. For reasons that remain unclear, Winnie chooses not to do anything about her predicament. In fact, she barely talks about her tricky situation and prefers instead to talk about past memories, death, her desire to sing, and a little girl named Mildred. This is an important element of the play's exposition: Winnie is trapped, but she chooses to not do anything to remove herself from the mound.
Rising Action (Conflict, Complication)
Another Day, Another Sandstorm
Winnie is now buried up to her neck in the mound. Things haven't really changed. Actually, that's not entirely true; things have changed… for the worse. It's getting hotter, Winnie has lost the ability to go through her purse, and to top off Winnie's sundae of despair, we have a shrill, non-stop bell ringing every time she closes her eyes.
Climax (Crisis, Turning Point)
The Song Must Go On
When Winnie finally sings her song, it seems like Willie is finally giving Winnie the tender loving care she desperately desires and needs. Things are sure to get better from here, right? Nope. How could they? It's near the end of the play.
Falling Action
Words Fail
All that's left at this point in the play are stage directions. After her song, Winnie stops smiling and closes her eyes only to hear the jarring ringing of the bell. It seems things haven't changed. (Have you noticed a pattern, yet?) But wait, Willie is still climbing up the mound (what's he trying to reach?).
Resolution (Denouement)
Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang
Willie stands still and looks at a smiling Winnie. Winnie looks back at Willie but stops smiling (why the sudden frown, Winnie?). They stare at each other. And, we're back to where we started: a whole lot of nothing going on.