Question

“The Happy Man” is a satire, a story that uses humor to criticize elements of society. What elements of society is the story criticizing?

Answer 1

Answer: He criticizes job demands, death and politics.

Explanation:

‘The Happy Man’ is a short story written by Naguib Mahfouz. Essentially a satire, the story criticizes certain aspect of society.

In the story, a man wakes up one morning and realizes that he is extremely happy. As the day progresses, he finds that he is too happy to work and too happy to sleep. He eventually visits a psychiatrist, who advises him to start therapy.

The author shows us that there is no pure happiness in life, as the man's mental state is a result of his past experiences. His wife has died, but when he recalls this event, he laughs. This indicates that the author is criticizing our perception of death. Moreover, the man is extremely unhappy at his job, and decides not to work at all so as not to ruin his happiness. Therefore, the author is criticizing job demands which are put on employees, and the whole socio-political situation in general.