Prompt 3: Happiness

In the text, I think that happiness is seen and portrayed as something different for all characters. Troy finds happiness in someone else, somewhere else where he doesn’t have financial responsibilities, etc. and this may be different than what Rose finds happiness in. Happiness in Fences means to be content with yourself and your life, to have fun with what you are doing, no matter the consequences or the situation; just like when Troy is explaining to Rose about his happiness at the other woman’s house, 'I can laugh out loud...and it feels good. It reaches all the way down to the bottom of my shoes. (Pause) Rose, I can't give that up'(69).

Society presents happiness as something that everyone should have and achieve, it is something that also determines the health of a person. We often see commercials on TV regarding depression or loss of happiness, which shows that society expects all people to be happy, and if otherwise, they are unhealthy. Society presents happiness as something ideal and something that all people should strive for; we often characterize people as “sad” or “emotional” if they are not looking “happy” like they usually do and should look.

I believe that happiness is over glamorized, society pressures people into thinking and believing that they should always be happy. For example, Pharrell Williams produced an entire song surrounding happiness – which causes others to follow along and strive for that feeling. I believe that happiness is something to be strived for an idealized, but I also believe that it is okay to feel down sometimes and it is okay to feel emotions other than happiness; sometimes these are the feelings that motivate us.

Happiness is not an accurate portrayal of reality. In some instances, I do believe that happiness can be an accurate portrayal of reality. But in other instances, happiness is not present and that is when we do need to come to conclusion that feelings other than happiness are a reality.

Happiness is a right, every person has the right to be happy. If good health is associated with happiness (in which it is in our society today) then all people have a right to be happy. We are all born into a life and how each of us find happiness is something that varies in all.

I think that happiness in the text, and happiness in our world overlap in many places. It is practical that a man may find happiness in another woman, as bad as it may seem. It is practical that escaping your responsibilities and finding refuge in another place can bring happiness to people. Sometimes there are things that need to be done and sacrificed in order to find happiness, and I think that this is how Troy felt in the book.