In The Happy Man’s Shirt, the theme is that happiness comes from within a person, no material object can buy it. As the king’s son the boy should be happy, he has a good life but for some unknown reason is always unhappy. Out of desperation, his father finally asked what is that makes him so sad all the time, with which the boy replied; “I don’t even know myself, Father,” (The Happy Man’s Shirt 1). However, in order for anybody else to know what is wrong with the son, he must first know what is wrong with himself. Without knowing what he needs in order for himself to be happy, he could potentially be given everything in the world and still not be content. Instead of seeking the best philosophers, doctors and professors, the king should
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Even if the king’s son was to be given anything he wanted, he would still have other things to worry about. As the king of a neighboring kingdom who is said to have it all, he would disagree that he is the happiest man, “Yes, indeed, I have everything anybody could possibly want. But at the same time I worry because I’ll die one day and leave it all. I can’t sleep at night for worrying about that!” (The Happy Man’s Shirt 1). There is no way to buy the happiness this king wishes for. No amount of money will pay away the sleepless nights or take away the concern for his kingdom's future. A person's true feelings cannot simply be altered by riches and goods. With having everything he could possibly want, comes the worry of losing it, or what will happen to his wealth once he is gone. A person’s happiness does not come from the amount of objects possessed. At the end of the king’s journey to find his sons happiness, he came across a boy and noticed, “The happy man wore no shirt,” (The Happy Man’s Shirt 2). The author showed that a person does not actually need anything to be happy, all they need is the right mindset. The strange man is happy just the way he is because he made his own happiness by placing himself in a situation where he knows he
Even if the king’s son was to be given anything he wanted, he would still have other things to worry about. As the king of a neighboring kingdom who is said to have it all, he would disagree that he is the happiest man, “Yes, indeed, I have everything anybody could possibly want. But at the same time I worry because I’ll die one day and leave it all. I can’t sleep at night for worrying about that!” (The Happy Man’s Shirt 1). There is no way to buy the happiness this king wishes for. No amount of money will pay away the sleepless nights or take away the concern for his kingdom's future. A person's true feelings cannot simply be altered by riches and goods. With having everything he could possibly want, comes the worry of losing it, or what will happen to his wealth once he is gone. A person’s happiness does not come from the amount of objects possessed. At the end of the king’s journey to find his sons happiness, he came across a boy and noticed, “The happy man wore no shirt,” (The Happy Man’s Shirt 2). The author showed that a person does not actually need anything to be happy, all they need is the right mindset. The strange man is happy just the way he is because he made his own happiness by placing himself in a situation where he knows he