The Human Happiness in the Sandman - Essay Example

Running Title: What Constitutes Human Happiness in the Sandman What Constitutes Human Happiness Student’s Name: Instructor: Institutional Affiliation Date Assignment is due: Today, more than ever before human happiness has become one of the scientific fields of study. In E.T.A. Hoffmann's story, The Sandman, there are some instances that are considered to be the psychology of happiness. This essay highlights some of things that are considered to be contributing to human happiness in The Sandman. Although only a few have heard about it, research on human happiness has been developing since 1960. Human happiness is regarded as the highest goal in life. The attainment of happiness is now the focus of philosophy, psychology and even theology (Graham, 2010). The earliest researcher in human happiness Gordon Watson argued that there is no other quest that can attract a large number of people than happiness. This is evident in The Sandman when Spalanzani decides to give his daughter a party where she is to be presented to the public for the first time. Grand parties are always meant for people to have fun and happiness and are known to attract crowds. Indeed Spalazini succeeds in attract the crowd when Olimpia was to presented to the public. In the world today, happiness is the most sought thing. It is valuable to everyone regardless of their race, age or economic status there is nobody in this world who does not want to be happy. This is also evident in Sandman where Nathanael struggles in all his life against all odds to find happiness. Though he has been hit by many tragedies, he always sought ways he could leave his past behind so that he may find happiness in life. Happiness is the most fundamental aspect of being human. It stands at the pinnacle of all the goals that humans want to achieve. Majority of philosophers agree that human happiness is indeed important and transcends any other aspect of human existence. Aristotle for example, observed that human happiness is to live well. Towards the end of the story in Sandman, Clara is said to have been seen with a young man with two boys, perceived to be her sons. She is said to have found happiness in life more than what Nathaniel would have offered her. Psychology has cited human happiness as the basic overriding goal in everything humans do (Seligman, 2004). It can therefore be said that entering into marriage and having successful family can be said to be contributing to happiness in life. To understand what constitutes human happiness, it is paramount to first define happiness (Grinde, 2002). Happiness is defined as a state of mind or a feeling that is characterized by love, contentment and satisfaction. It is the basic psychological point to human life. This is the thing that everyone around the globe seeks after and hopes to have. It is the best feeling, it satisfies to possess it, happiness cannot be denied. In the Sandman, Clara is seen to be happy after she has found a partner in life and has been successful marital relationship. However, human happiness is hardly a topic in most people’s mind. In spite of the fact that happiness is so important, people know very little about it (Klein, 2006). To a large extent, happiness is un-understood which means nothing is known about it. There is no misunderstanding whatsoever about happiness. Human happiness is a paradox of all time. The very thing that humanity wants so badly is the thing they know little or nothing about it. For example what drives Nathaniel to be “obsessed” with Olimpia is not known but it is assumed to be the search of happiness. Although he doesn’t know Olimpia very well, Nathaniel thinks that she will be the source of his happiness. If you ask people today what happiness is, they have many words to describe what they consider it is. To some it is a good job, having a lot of money, achieving goals and many more. There is a general confusion between cause’s verses effects. Happiness cannot be a thousand things that are different (Graham, 2010). The many things that people describe as happiness are actually things that bring about happiness and they are not happiness in themselves. Nathaniel’s search for Coppelius to avenge the death of his father can be seen to bring him happiness in life. Clearly there is no way Coppelius’ death can be happiness to Nathaniel but it can be understood that if Nathaniel kills Coppelius, he will have some feelings of accomplishment in life that will bring happiness into his life. Another way people try to define happiness is the use of synonyms. Words such as contentment and satisfaction are commonly used to imply happiness (Grinde, 2002). Just like in the previous example, Nathaniel can be said to find happiness in life if he kills Coppelius to avenge the death of his father and all the terrible things he did to them when they were young. This is because of the feeling of accomplishment of his life goal. However, these terms do not come an inch closer to what happiness is. All these words are experiential in that they explain one’s feeling at one particular time. No man lives well for the purpose of attaining some further life goal. Rather, living well is life’s highest end (Seligman & Martin 2002). All other subordinate life goals such as health, wealth and other resources are sought after because they promote a person’s well-being. In the Sandman, Nathaniel considers his education as subordinate to his search of happiness in life. It can be said that Nathaniel goes to the university to complete his studies so that he can support is long quest for happiness in life. Well being does not consist in such things. Unless we are able to determine which good in life happiness consists in, then it does not profit to conclude that this is the highest achievement or end in life (Klein, 2006). The highest good in a human being has a connection with their humanness (Seligman, 2004). Therefore the ability of humans to reason and attain a better life is what sets them apart from the rest of the species. The proper use of reason by human beings is the very thing that constitutes happiness in life. In the Sandman, through Nathaniel’s letter to Lother, we come to learn that as a child Nathaniel dreaded the mystical legendary Sandman who is said to have been removing eyes from children and taking them to his children living in the moon. After the death of his father, Nathaniel later comes to associate the lawyer Coppelius with the legendary Sandman after Coppelius disappears immediately after the death of his (Nathaniel) father. This reasoning forms the start of his quest to avenge the death of his father by looking for Coppelius. It can therefore be said that Nathaniel utilizes his reasoning to find happiness in life. When Nathaniel moves to a new house after his student lodges were burned down, Coppola the salesman offers to sell ‘eyes’-lenses and spectacles. Nathaniel buys from him a small telescope that he later uses to watch Olimpia the daughter of the professor. Here it can be seen that Nathaniel utilizes his reasoning to find happiness in life. To live life well always consists in the activities caused by the rational soul in accordance with virtue. According to Aristotle happiness is the pinnacle good that a human being can attain. There are many things that humans see as good. If they pursue such things because of what is inherent in them (for their own good), then such things acquire the highest good compared to things that are pursued for other purposes (Seligman & Martin 2002). Humans cannot improve the highest good by adding anything else to it. The highest good in life is desirable in itself and is not desirable because of another good. Even to the reader, Nathaniel’s search for Coppelius is understandable and can be easily seen to bring happiness to him if he ever finds him and avenges the death of his father. Even though it is not clearly pointed out that Coppelius did kill Nathaniels father, we are almost sure that Nathaniel will be happy if he ever finds Coppelius. Happiness as described above is the pursuance of the highest good. It is important to understand where this happiness is to be found (Levine, 2000). Happiness is exclusively found within a human being. Many people often have the notion that there is a place outside the human being where happiness is to be found. There is a tendency of searching for happiness where it cannot be found. As argued above, happiness is an end in itself. It is thus an internal experience in a human being (Seligman, 2004).The emotions of human happiness have two main forms. One is the happiness mood. This kind of mood is short lived and occurs periodically. In the Sandman, Nathaniel falls in love with Olimpia and attains happiness for a short time before he realizes that Coppola and the professor were playing with his feelings. His short lived feeling of happiness, after falling in love with Olimpia, later leads to his madness and eventually his death. The second kind is a deeper and it abides in a human being at each moment of their lives. This second type of happiness presents the total emotional evaluation of human life. This is what majority of the people understand when thoughts of happiness flood their minds. Happiness to humans is therefore important for it forms the core of live (Graham, 2010). With regard to what constitutes happiness, happiness encompasses many things and is also personal. In essence, a person’s happiness is solely dependent on personal experiences rather than on those of other people in the surrounding. This is evident in the life of Nathaniel in The Sandman. His all life is full of tragedies. Even when the professor and Coppola are happy after the success of their experiment, Nathaniel does not derive any happiness from this. In fact, Nathaniel’s failure to realize that Olimpia was a machine is the source of happiness for The Professor and Coppola, a happiness that Nathaniel cannot share. Also Nathaniel does not enjoy the happiness that other students in the university enjoy though they live together. His life experiences and tragedies contribute immensely to his lack of happiness in life. Also Lothar and Clara are very good and close friends of Nathaniel, who can be seen to have not been hit by any great tragedy in life. Although they share in the problems and sadness of Nathaniel, Nathaniel on the other hand does not share in their bliss. Indeed, human happiness is to a large extent related to an individual’s world rather than what is outside that world. Another interesting aspect about the personal nature of happiness is that it is experienced privately (David, 1992). This is the reason why many outsiders (friends and acquaintances) more often than not are wrong in assessing a person’s happiness. Human happiness is not easily perceived by other people other that the person who has this private experience. Although the reader can easily empathize with Nathaniel, other characters in the story do not. For example Coppola does not show any remorse to the problems of Nathaniel. He even goes to the extent that he uses his (Nathaniel) failure to recognize that Olimpia is not human to gain happiness in life. This is through feelings of happiness after he (Coppela) thought that his creative work was good. In conclusion, there are many things that have been seen to contribute to happiness in The Sandman. Also, there are things that are seen to contribute to happiness more than others. Some of the most recognizable sources of happiness in The Sandman are the feeling of accomplishment of life goals and the events in one’s life. Happiness in The sandman has been shown to be an individual’s feeling and you cannot share with those around you neither can one derive happiness from the happiness of those around you. References Cloninger.C.R. (2004) Feeling Good: The Science of Well-Being, Oxford Graham, C (2010). Happiness around the World: The Paradox of Happy Peasants. Oxford: Oxford University Press David G. M (1992).The Pursuit of Happiness: William Morrow and Co. Grinde, B (2002). "Happiness in the Perspective of Evolutionary Psychology". Journal of Happiness Studies Vol.3, pp 331–354. Klein, S. (2006). The Science of Happiness. Marlowe & Company. Levine, M. (2000). The Positive Psychology of Buddhism and Yoga: Paths to a Mature Happiness. Lawrence Erlbaum. Seligman, D. & Martin E.P. (2002). Authentic Happiness. Free Press Seligman, M.E.P. (2004). Can Happiness be Taught? Daedalus Journal Read More