Naguib Mahfouz, a prolific and esteemed figure in Arabic literature, left an indelible mark with his extensive body of work. Throughout his 70-year career, he published 34 novels, over 350 short stories, five plays, and numerous movie scripts. Recognized as one of the greatest writers in Arabic literature, he was awarded the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature. His writing often reflects the history and culture of Cairo, Egypt.
Naguib Mahfouz, the renowned Egyptian writer and Nobel laureate.
In literary works, discovering characters who embody absolute happiness is a rarity. However, "The Happy Man," a short story by the Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz, presents a unique exception. The narrative centers on a man who awakens one morning with an inexplicable sense of happiness.
The story begins in medias res, diving straight into the protagonist's experience without relying on flashbacks for exposition. He works as a writer for a local newspaper, a job that typically brings him joy. Throughout the day, his decisions reflect his newfound state, with his overwhelming happiness dictating the events of his life. However, the story raises a fundamental question: Does perfect happiness truly exist, and is it even attainable in our challenging modern world?
The following is excerpted from the short story, “The Happy Man,” by Naguib Mahfouz, winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature.
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When he woke up, he found himself happy. That was most strange compared with his habitual state of mind in the early morning. For he usually got up with a terrible headache from working late hours in his office at the newspaper, or with a hangover from too much eating and drinking at some wild party.
The worries of the day before and the problems of the present day usually assailed him then, so that he dragged himself out of bed with great difficulty, trying to muster all his energy and face the troubles of life. But today he was unquestionably happy, overflowing with happiness. The feeling was so clear and intense that it imposed itself on his mind and senses. Yes, he was happy.
If this was not happiness, what was it then? He felt all his organs were functioning in perfect harmony with each other and with the whole world around him. Inside him there was infinite energy and a tremendous capacity to achieve anything with great skill and confidence. And his heart was brimming with love for people, animals and things, with an overwhelming feeling of optimism, as if he had finally defeated fear, anxiety, sickness and death.
Above all, there was that incomprehensible sensation which penetrated his body and soul, playing a delightful tune of joy, contentment and peace. Intoxicated with this ecstasy, he savored it slowly and with a deep sense of wonder about its mysterious source. There was nothing in his past to explain it or in his future to justify it. How did it come? How long would it last? Oh no, this must be just a fleeting mood which could never be permanent. For if it lasted forever, man would become an angel and reach the world beyond. Let him enjoy it now, live with it, treasure it, before it became a vague memory in the distant horizon.
The Ironic Title and the Protagonist's Paradox
- The title itself is ironic. "The Happy Man" in the story isn’t actually happy at all. He has suffered from grief, which has caused him to lose his mind. This had caused him to change his personality and to be happy all the time.
- It is ironic that he claims to be unbelievably happy, yet he questions it. He asks his servant if he is happy. “Tell me, “Uncle” Bashir, am I a happy man?” (pg.236) The man’s happiness then scares him and makes him go see doctors.
Themes and Literary Devices
Mahfouz skillfully introduces the happy man’s internal conflict.
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“He felt slightly worried... It occurred to him that he might recall the tragedies of his life so that he could test their effect on his happiness. Perhaps they would be able to bring back some idea of balance or security, at least until his happiness began to flag a little.” (412)
He is so unhappy with the current situation and his inability to return to his old custom of anguish, that he tries to focus on the darker things in life. His recent problems at the workplace, his wife’s death, his son’s move to Canada - all these “tragedies of his life” acrimoniously increase the level of his happiness.
The story exhibits existentialism in the protagonist’s feeling of alienation from his fellow man, who he believes, cannot begin to fathom the true depth and nature of his happiness. There are several references to being “drunk” on happiness or being “drunk with ecstasy”. It is possible that the author wanted to show that this perfect happiness would be artificial and temporary like the happiness alcohol or drugs can produce.
Examples of literary devices used in the story:
- “His heart was overflowing with love for people, animals and things, and with an all-engulfing sense of optimism and joy.” This is an exaggeration to show how “happy” the main character is. (pg.235)
- “Even more important than that, and something he could not analyze, it was a feeling which penetrated to every cell of his body and soul; it played a tune full of delight, pleasure, serenity, and peace, and hummed in its incredible melodies the whispering sound of the world, which is denied to the unhappy.” Once again the author uses this quote to show how “happy” the main character is.
- “…and hummed in its incredible melodies the whispering sound of the world, which is denied to the unhappy.” (pg.235) This is personification because the author is giving human like qualities (in this case whispering) to an inanimate object.
- “How could he possibly write about a trolley bus falling into the Nile when he was so intoxicated by this frightening happiness?” (pg.239) The allusion in this quote is the “Nile”.
- Though out the story there are many references to drugs and alcohol, which could symbolize a way for the “happy” man to overcome his grief.
- “He remembered his wife’s death…which prompted a smile and then even provoked laughter. He could not stop himself laughing, and there he was guffawing, ha . . .ha . . .
The Quest for Balance and the Role of Emotions
The example of the main character of The Happy Man proves that it is a myth. In the story, we can see that by trying to retain the blissful feeling of happiness, the man gradually loses connection with other people. He realizes that listening to his friends sharing their problems will spoil his mood, so he decides to avoid socializing. He also builds a wall between himself and everything happening in his own life. Such events as the death of his wife or his son’s decision to move to another country evoke no emotions. The man realizes that his unusual happiness is out of the ordinary and tries to find a reasonable explanation. However, the feeling is so overwhelming that he is not ready to lose it. By trying to stay happy, he automatically deprived himself of simple human happiness. He abandoned his friends and cut off all contacts with them. This kind of happiness is temporary and will soon turn into misery and loneliness.
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The story implies that a balanced life requires a range of emotions, including anger, excitement, and sadness. The protagonist's pursuit of constant happiness leads to internal conflict and a sense of alienation from others. This highlights the importance of experiencing the full spectrum of human emotions to live a meaningful life.
In today’s society one values work so much, that stress due to work related predicaments can easily take over one’s life and lead to depression and other abominable outcomes. When this is paired with religious boundaries and pressure from the government, one is inundated by the mass of conflict.
The point of view in the story “The Happy Man” is third person.
The mood and tone of the story is fast paced and happy until he realizes that he needs to see a doctor.
I think that the overall message of the story is that things aren’t always, as they seem. In this case the main character in the story looked like he was happy. He even though he was happy when really he was dealing with his grief in his own way which caused him to become paranoid and seek help. This is ironic because the story is called “The Happy Man”.
“He woke up in the morning and discovered that he was happy.” (pg.235) He didn’t know why he was happy because he was usually sad or in a bad mood.
“I bet your dear son has changed his mind about staying in Canada” “But that was the principle reason for being so sad….” (pg.237) This shows that he is lonely.
“He remembered his wife’s death…” (pg.239) This shows that he has been grieving and the fact that he started laughing at the though of his late wife shows that he has started to lose his mind.
“We should have two sessions a week, I think?” “He started guffawing loudly….” This shows that he doesn’t even realize that he has a problem and that he is crazy.
In literature, there are lots of stories about misery, pain, and unhappiness. In fact, it is difficult to find a character whom you can call absolutely happy. However, the short story by an Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz is an exception.
The man’s conflict takes place within himself.
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Protagonist's State | Unexplainably happy, contrasting with his usual morning mood. |
| Literary Devices | Exaggeration, personification, allusion, symbolism. |
| Themes | The elusive nature of happiness, alienation, the importance of emotional balance. |
| Irony | The "Happy Man" is not truly happy but is dealing with grief in a distorted way. |
| Conflict | Internal conflict within the protagonist as he grapples with his unusual happiness. |
“Happy the Man” closes with the rhyming of “power” with “hour.” Perhaps this rhyme underscores the poem’s message that it is one’s perception of time (“hour”), as well as one’s confidence in the present, that frees one from concerns of the future or past, and grants one the ability (“power”) to live in the now.
Main themes : Focuses on the condition and the disinclination to challenge authority.
Examples : “And his heart was brimming with a love for people, animals and things, with an overwhelming feeling of optimism…How did it come? How long would it last?
The Happy Man by Naguib Mahfouz is about a usually unhappy man who wakes up unexplainably happy.
This story exhibits existentialism in the protagonist’s feeling of alienation from his fellow man, who he believes, cannot begin to fathom the true depth and nature of his happiness.
There are several references to being “drunk” on happiness or being “drunk with ecstasy”. It is possible that the author wanted to show that this perfect happiness would be artificial and temporary like the happiness alcohol or drugs can produce.
Mahfouz won the Noble Prize for literature in 1988. “The Happy Man” is a about a man who wakes up one morning and finds himself “inconceivably happy”. He has no idea why or how this happened and is shocked because of how he usually feels when he wakes up in the mornings.
“This was distinctly peculiar when compared with the state he was usually in when he woke up” (pg. 235) He finds himself talking to people he generally never talks to such as his servant “Uncle” Bashir. He then finds himself talking to his worst rival who he has constant conflicts with. He addresses and talks to him though as if they were best friends.
“Good Morning! He said without feeling any compunction.” (pg.237) His rival is shocked by how much different the man has changed and asks if his son has returned from Canada. “I bet your dear son has changed his mind about staying in Canada?!
This leads the reader to believe that the happy man was grieving for the loss of his wife and son and has stated to lose his mind causing him to be happy. He then attends to different doctors and specialists, all of who tell him that he is in perfect health. The last doctor, who is a psychiatrist who tells him that he has patients like him and that he should have two sessions a week.
The story begins with the speaker stating that a hypothetical “happy man” would be one who “can call today his own,” i.e. who focuses on, and is satisfied by, his present.
Lines 1 to 2 establish both the thematic and prosodic characteristics of the piece.
The speaker declares, in his assertive and optimistic voice, that the “happy man” of the poem is one “who can call today his own.”
The didactic tone of this opening statement evokes the style of proverbs and aphorisms.
On the other hand, the rhyme of “alone” with “own” initiates the heroic couplet pattern that persists throughout the piece.
The irregular meter of the first two lines (iambic pentameter to iambic tetrameter) signal that the poem is unmetered, and that it approximates actual speech rather than being confined to a strict metric pattern.
In lines 3 to 6, the speaker shifts to a direct quote of this hypothetical “happy man,” illustrating the mindset of one who finds happiness in the present.
Constructing an anaphora across lines 2 and 3 (the repetition of “He who [...]”), the speaker implies that the sense of ownership over one’s present (“call today his own”) and one’s sense of inner security (“secure within”) are synonymous.
In line 4, the “happy man,” confident and content, then dares “Tomorrow” to “do [their] worst, for [he has] lived today.”
Using a personification/apostrophe, the speaker addresses "Tomorrow," rendering the abstract (and often elusive, unpredictable, and daunting) notion of the future as a concrete and humanized entity; because he lives in the now and is satisfied by the present (“today”), he is capable of challenging “Tomorrow” to battle and triumphing over it no matter what degree or form of adversity it may present to him.
In lines 5 to 6, the “happy man” reiterates that he is confident about the “joys [he has] possessed” regardless of the vicissitudes of life, and in doing so utilizes a weather metaphor (“Be fair or foul or rain or shine”) to denote the ups and downs of life.
The final couplet (lines 7 and 8) closes the poem in the voice of the “happy man.”
Shifting from concerns of the future to those of the past, the “happy man” asserts in line 7 that “Heaven itself” is powerless before what has already happened.
This situationally ironic, and thus hyperbolic, statement-that even the omnipotent forces of the divine cannot control the past-emphasizes that the everyman has no choice but to accept the past and put it behind him.
In the final line, the “happy man” declares that he shall not be fixated upon the past (“what has been, has been”), and that he is grateful for his past glory (“I have had my hour”).
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