Money Can't Buy Happiness: Analysis of The Examples from Literature

Understanding Happiness

Happiness is a sense of well-being, contentment, and satisfaction. It is a kind of feeling. Happiness is subjective and difficult to measure. The interpretation of happiness varies from person to person. There are many factors that can affect one’s happiness, such as our thoughts, health, environment and living conditions, family harmony, and social relationships.

'Money Can't Buy Happiness: Analysis of Examples from Literature'

This essay aims to explore whether the environment and living conditions are major factors affecting one’s happiness. From the three selected stories (a. ‘A Hunger Artist’ by Franz Kafka b. ‘The Boy Who Drew Cats’ (A Japanese folktale) c. ‘The Standard of Living’ by Dorothy Parker), it illustrates that money can't buy happiness, as happiness comes from the satisfaction of our ability to be content with life. Therefore, we should stay persistent and keep moving towards our dreams, even when faced with poor environments and living conditions. Achievement and success can bring us more happiness and satisfaction than materialistic conditions.

The Illusion of Materialism in 'The Standard of Living'

The theme of the story of ‘The Standard of Living’ is the conflict between illusion and reality. Through the two young girls in the story, Annabel and Midge, it demonstrates the lifestyles of materialism. Annabel and Midge were close friends who worked in the same office in America as stenographers. Annabel invented a new game. The game provided them a million dollars, and they wanted to buy a string of pearls costing two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. They tended to emulate the lifestyles of the rich. The two girls were obsessed with money. Their dream was not only to be millionaires but also to climb to a higher social class. Unfortunately, it was only an illusion, highlighting how their pursuit of material wealth left them unsatisfied.

Pursuing Dreams in 'The Boy Who Drew Cats'

The story of ‘The Boy Who Drew Cats’ tells of a boy, the son of a poor farmer, whose parents decided to send him to the village temple to be trained as a priest. The boy learned quickly and was obedient in most things except one – drawing cats whenever and wherever he could. The old priest finally sent the boy away, advising him to become an artist instead of a priest. The boy, instead of returning home, went to the next village where there was a large temple. Unbeknownst to him, the temple was closed due to a goblin-rat. He saw a large white screen and started to draw cats, which ultimately killed the goblin-rat. Afterwards, the boy became a famous artist.

Although the story of ‘The Boy Who Drew Cats’ is a folktale, it illustrates a concept that a poor environment and living conditions cannot stop one’s dream. The little boy kept pursuing his dream even in adverse conditions. His dream came true, and he became a famous artist. Happiness comes from the satisfaction of his ability to become an artist. In contrast, the two young girls in 'The Standard of Living' lived only in imagination, believing that materialism would bring them happiness. They could not achieve what they wanted by merely imagining, without putting effort into changing their lives.

Defying Adversity in 'A Hunger Artist'

Another story, ‘A Hunger Artist,’ tells of an artist who regards fasting as an art. He sat in a cage from day to night and ate nothing, aspiring to be a great artist with perseverance. He gained fame through this marathon fasting exhibition but was not happy, as his manager restricted his fasting to forty days only. However, people lost interest in watching the hunger artist. He decided to join a circus and planned to set a fasting record beyond forty days. Although he continued to fast, no one showed interest or kept track of the days. In the end, the hunger artist died. But he was proud that he never gave up his fast. He persisted and struggled for recognition. Unlike 'The Standard of Living,' this story illustrates that an adverse environment cannot stop one’s dream. The hunger artist found satisfaction and wish-fulfillment through fasting, even though nobody understood his art.

The Subjectivity of Happiness

As mentioned before, happiness is subjective and difficult to measure. Some people believe that a good environment and quality of life can bring happiness. For example, one of my groupmates, Wong Hing Lung, mentions that we can perceive happiness from an environment close to green areas or wildlife. We feel happier when located in natural environments daily. Simple life is happy. Of course, returning to nature can bring good health, and healthy people feel happier. But I think happiness comes from not only environmental conditions but also life satisfaction in different areas such as work, family, friendship, achievement, and success. In some poor countries, people do not aspire to materialistic satisfaction. They seek basic necessities and feel happy even with a simple life. Moreover, like the Hunger Artist and the boy who drew cats, despite adverse environments and living conditions, they can still fulfill their dreams, which bring them happiness. On the contrary, the two young girls in 'The Standard of Living' are too obsessed with money and materialistic conditions. They will not feel happy if their ambitions cannot be achieved.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the interpretation of happiness varies from person to person and depends on one’s values. Money can’t buy happiness. The accomplishment of our dreams or achieving our goals can bring us more happiness and satisfaction than materialistic conditions. We should stay persistent and keep moving towards our dreams, even when faced with poor environments and living conditions.

References

1. Kafka, F. (1922). A Hunger Artist.
2. Parker, D. (1941). The Standard of Living.
3. Japanese Folktale. (n.d.). The Boy Who Drew Cats.