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I played Percy in the musical version of thisIn the musical, everything ends up happyand a lot of names are different too. When I first heard about the ending of the movie, I was like "WHAT??? I have to die??" then my director said "nope, thats the movie, you live happily ever after with Joe" Joe is the sherriff in the musical and basically wants to marry Percy. But I loved the play more than the movie.
"Just because I'm not laughing, doesnt mean I'm not making fun of you."

I really love this movie, own it and have seen it several times. But you brought out a couple of things I had not considered (the specific foreshadowing for one) that are really helpful. Thanks!!

SPOILERS .
I can't say the ending ticked me off. Percy foreshadowed her own death. Recall the story she told Shelby about the Indian Squaw and her baby in the canoe. Percy relates that the drunken sailors had heard that Indian babies could swim from birth, and that they'd capsized the canoe to 'test their theory'. Percy says that the baby went right to the bottom of the river. Then she goes on to say that the story never tells what happened to the mother, but she thinks it would have been best if the mother also drowned.
Clearly, Percy's own loss of her baby at the hands of her abusive, alcoholic step-father is a mirroring of the drunken sailor-kills-Indian baby story. Percy also takes the place of the Indian Squaw when she drowns trying to warn "Johnny B."/Eli Ferguson about the manhunt.
I don't know what Lee Zlotoff's ultimate reason for killing Percy was, but I can see that the death wasn't out-of-the-blue or purely for shock value. He gave us all the hints and dropped all the pertinent clues that showed us how Percy identified with the outcast and the misunderstood members of society.
When Percy pours out her heart about the reasons she came to Gileadthat she just wanted a chance, but that after what she'd done, it apparently didn't matter
where
she wentthe 'happy ending' comes in the form of the essay contest winner, who was also seeking 'a chance' for herself and her infant son. This young woman now figuratively takes the place of Percy.
Geez, this is starting to sound like a thesis paper, or something. I'll stop now.
Incidentally, it's been mentioned on this message board that in the musical stage production of the Spitfire Grill, Percy does not die. It's also been said that Zlotoff has approved of this creative change.

I couldn't agree more. Nahum should have faced charges for taking the money then blaming Percy. The ending indeed "sucked".

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This is a really old post but I'm gonna answer anyways.
I LOVE THIS MOVIE!, strongly recommend you to watch it until the end.

I don't want to spoil the movie. But I had to write an essay about it.

You don't want to spoil this movie.
Rent it.
Are you going to pull those pistols or whistle "Dixie"?