The Importance Of Happiness In Orwell's 'The Metamorphosis'

Happiness is a story, a story that begins at birth and ends at death. It may be a tale of lost love, with the protagonist searching for what was once his. It may be a coming-of-age story, where the main character discovers what was inside all along. It may be a tragedy, a comedy, but most importantly, happiness is whatever the writer makes it. Like any story, happiness draws on from the author’s own ideals and values. What would The Lord of the Flies be without Golding’s view of human nature, or Nineteen Eighty-Four without Orwell’s wariness of nationalism? In order to have happiness, one needs to apply their beliefs. Because of this, it is clear that there is no happiness if the things we believe in are different than the things we do. This

One of the clearest examples of this is Gregor himself. At the very beginning of The Metamorphosis, Gregor reveals the extent to which he dislikes his career, stating that “I’d have quit ages ago. I would go to the boss and state my opinion out loud from the bottom of my heart” (14). Like most other people, he believes in standing up for his own rights. Despite this, Gregor is unable to follow through on this principle, as demonstrated just a few seconds later when he begins worrying that “if he called in sick...the boss would certainly come with the doctor from the health insurance company and reproach his parents” (15). Gregor, despite possessing the innate human doctrine of defending oneself and one’s rights, is unable to stand up against his boss. Because he does not try to follow through on this ideal, he is consigned to constant unhappiness, with his time spent panicking about his employment. Another more well-known example of resisting improper reaches of authority is the American War of Independence; thirteen British colonies, unhappy with unfair representation, acted upon their beliefs of freedom and equality in order to establish a new country. By rebelling against authority, the colonists allowed themselves to actively fight for the ideals that they valued, rather than suppressing them for the sake of expediency. Whereas unhappiness accompanied inaction, the colonists’ stand for what they believed in granted them the triumph of independence. Situations such as these serve to further clarify the relationship between action, belief, and happiness; when action is able to match belief, happiness is