Happiness: a Human Disease -- An Examination of the Allegorical Theme of Existentialism in the Happy Man
The short story, “The Happy Man” by Naguib Mahfouz, discusses the human condition, presenting existentialism as its central theme. Specifically, the story seeks to illustrate unhappiness of the common man and the effect it has on his life. It is an allegorical piece, in which the unnamed protagonist showcases the state of the human as unhappy; only scarcely finding joy. Indeed, the euphoric feeling the protagonist feels is contrary to what he usually feels and has adverse effects on his lifestyle. Mahfouz uses happiness to show that people are intrinsically unhappy as the protagonist ultimately seeks to remove his euphoria. He contrasts the initial feelings of joy with the concern that he feels later on.
From the start, Mahfouz aims to demonstrate man's unfamiliarity with feelings of true happiness. “When he woke up,” he states, “He found himself happy. That was most strange compared with his habitual state of mind in the early morning.” This statement shows that the protagonist is too mired in the troubles of life, both present and past, to have ever experienced happiness. This occupation with troubles always floods his mind, from the start of the day to the end. Indeed, this is the way the common man operates – he awakens with troubles on his mind, and is too preoccupied with them to be happy. Just as the protagonist has no reason for happiness, people in the world are without reason for theirs: “There was nothing in his past to explain it or in his future to justify it.” Here, Mahfouz contrasts nihilism and absurdism. He shows that while the protagonist is happy, he has no reason to be so – a largely nihilistic view. This is largely congruous with the viewpoint of the philosopher Albert Camus, in that a person can be happy and find meaning in life if he makes