Abhishek Dwivedi

Darryl Laird
Engl 110
Section #09
Thursday, January 21, 2010.

What is Happiness? Happiness is but a belief, an idea or a theory. According to Aristotle,

happiness is an end, an end result of all the things a person does. Everything everyone does is for

a reason, to achieve something else. Aristotle believes that the “something else” is happiness.

There is a common belief that having money can obtain you happiness. But do you really think

that money is the most important thing in the world? Can happiness really be bought by money?

Do you have to be rich to be happy? Would being richer make you happier? In this money-

oriented world, it is not weird that over a third of people think that money can buy happiness.

Yet, it is an irony that our pillars bear such a thought. In this essay, I will look at the reasons for

which Margaret Cavendish does not believe in the power of money. Based on her perspective, I

will also argue that money cannot buy happiness.

Margaret proves her point to the protagonist of the story ‘the lady’, who feels the

importance of happiness as she discovers the contentment and joy on the faces of peasants. The

peasants struggle hard for their existence to earn their living which is not enough to suffice their

needs; yet they sleep well at night. The lady is jealous as her wealth, her riches cannot buy her

happiness but the deeper meaning shows that if happiness is to be found in whatever we do then

we should accept the paramount importance of making others happy. She compares the lives of
peasants with the rich people as she says that merriment is accompanied by troubles and it is not

easy to live happily and manage grandness with such freedom of mind as the poor peasants do

even in their miser living. The peasants find joy in their work, which, in return earns them

recreation and health whereas the luxurious and idleness of richer men brings discontentment

which is hard to overcome. ‘The country housewives find pleasure in milking their cows, making

butter, cheese and feeding their poultry.’(Cavendish, pg no. 16) Their mind is in a state of peace

as they do not or seldom care for their looks and beauty. They do not get tensed about pimples.

Their hard work brings them sound sleep and they are not perplexed at the thought of not being

up to date at fashion.

According to Margaret Cavendish, the peasants are not envied by each other. They are

loving and helpful towards one another. But ‘great’ (pg no. 17) ladies are devoid of this true

pleasure. Their jealousy at others beauty and bravery disturbs the environment as well as their

quality time. They grow sick and unhappy than being loving and joyous. The countrymen are so

unconcerned to such envy that they meet each other with joyous heart. They enjoy their

cheerfulness and depart each other with neighborly love as compared to the high society people

who meet each other in a way that they could prove their superiority over the other person. Their

conversation is usually very formal and they depart by exchanging enmity in their hearts.

To evaluate the happiness between a peasant and ‘noble’ (Cavendish, pg no. 17),

Margaret Cavendish says that “In comparison to one noble who is truly happy and contended the

number of happier peasants is still more.” This does not mean that there should be more peasants
as they are contended and happy, but to the fact, there are countless number of happier peasants

because they are not discontented by others success, possessions and strong desire to achieve

something. The writer does not consider herself as an appropriate judge of the various sorts,

course or of actions of human beings as she believes that happiness is a matter of inward

contentment of mind and soul.

Happiness is an abstract feeling that cannot be confiscated by wealth. The letter

beautifully personifies the paramount importance of happiness, but the protagonist of the letter

‘the lady’ is devoid of this beautiful inner emotion as she despite of her riches is unhappy. A man

who accepts everything that comes to him, with gratitude despite of his poverty is contended.

Even in his struggle for existence, he solely rises on his hard work and is happy whereas wanting

more and being reluctant towards fate can bring no happiness. If one does not enjoy what he

undertakes, the expenditure is void even if one buys everything with treasures. Thus, wealth or

riches does not guarantee happiness. It comes from ones opinion and thoughts, self appraise and

conviction. The things that we selflessly do for others and ourselves make us happy. To wrap up,

we can say that being rich does not guarantee your happiness but being poor does not rob you of

it.

Work cited

Cavendish, Margaret. “On social class and happiness.” The broad view anthology of expository

prose 2007.ed.Tammy Roberts .Petersbourgh: Ontario, 2007.16-18.