Happiness in the American culture
After the World War II the Americans were very ecstatic about attaining happiness and developing new avenues to enjoy their new found freedom especially in the African-Americans. In this pursuit, of happiness the Americans were striving to amass more wealth and property and most of them engaged in crude methods of accumulating the wealth. According to Wilson’s “Man in the gray flannel suit”, Americans were driven by the quest for happiness immediately after the depression such that happiness was equated with living in the suburbs, procession of a television set and car in the family set-up. The cultural stereotype of good life was indicated by emergence of a class of citizens who were obliged to own property that raised their social status way ahead of their peers and this was regarded as happiness in its own making (Outline of American literature; chapter 8).
In Ralph’s “the invisible man”, the main character strives to attain the same level of life exhibited by whites as a way of enjoying the profound happiness that he sees being portrayed by the whites. However, the initial stages of the quest are coupled with humiliating and rather embarrassing moments as soon afterwards the whites expose him to bouts of racial discrimination which are believed to be part of the entire process. Later on when he encounters white people in his life, the black community treats him differently and he gets to understand the fact that blacks are unhappy because the whites do not regard them equally. Consequently, he learns that for an individual to attain true happiness he/she has to engage in activities that will make them this dimension of life also fails and the only strategy left behind is to ensure that if society cannot avail happiness for its members, then individual happiness is difficult to achieve (Outline of American literature; chapter 8).
Another reading that depicts the path to happiness is Toni Morrison’s “the bluest eye” which illustrates happiness as a reserve for the whites who have everything from physical beauty to wealth and hence they are presented with all the good things in life. In the story, a young girl, Pecola has one wish through which she attribute her happiness; possession of blue eyes. Pecola’s world is made up of happy whites especially the blonde girls with blue eyes as they are able to attract all the handsome young men while blacks are poor and miserable as they do not posses the sort of eyes. In her pursuit of blue eyes, Pecola engages in crazy activities which cots her life way before she gets a glimpse of happiness (Outline of American literature; chapter 8).
The only quest for happiness which presents a happy ending is in “the piano lessons” where the ghosts of Sutter are banished and exorcised from the family house. This is done with much resistance as Willie Boy’s aim was to sell the piano to obtain money which would have been used to boost his life activities after the stint in jail. Due to the high regards that are accorded to happiness, Bernice had to ensure that the right path is followed when removing the ghost’s presence in the compound (Outline of American literature; chapter 8).
Reference
Outline of American literature; chapter 8. American prose since 1945: realism and experimentation. Retrieved on August 10, 2010 from: http://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/oal/lit8.htm
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