The Happy Man

The Happy Man is a short story written by a well-known English novelist

William Somerset Maugham. He was a British playwright, novelist and short
story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly
the highest-paid author during the 1930s. He always puts a question and
leaves it to the reader to answer it.
In the story is described a visit to the narrator. The visitor is a doctor who
wants to ask whether he should leave for Spain or not, to succeed in his life.
The narrator answers that it can be difficult for him, but he should do that.
The visitor leaves. Fifteen years later, the narrator goes to Spain where he
meets his visitor and hears from him, that his life is really good, though he is
not rich.
We can divide the story into three parts: The Introduction, where the
problem of giving advice is stated, The Main Part, where a piece of advice is
given, and The Conclusion, where we get to know the consequences of it.
The story is written in a first-person narrative, and the narrator is a doctor,
from which we may suggest that the narrator is the author himself, which
makes his story more true to life. 
The Title is challenged for us, because we do not know exactly about what
is story. At the same time it is exciting and attractive. Later find out who the
Happy man is.
Theme can be searching for happiness, because the doctor wanted to get rid
of his routine and go to Spain, but he was not sure.
The idée is that the doctor made a decision that radically changed his life.
Exposition- reflection about human condition, relationship, life,
intervention in another destiny.
Rising Action- visit to an not very successful doctor for advice if go in
Spain or not.
 Climax- the doctor pressed the narrator to say his opinion ,, if you don’t
want money but are content to earn just enough to keep body and soul
together, then go’’
Falling action- The reencounter after 15 years and reevaluation of life
style, changes and professional achievement.
Denouement- The doctor felt happy, because he routinely escapes and can
enjoy every day of the sun and suppose the drink.
The main characters are Narrator and Doctor. The narrator was a young
man, lived in a modest apartment in London. He had to give advice to
Stephen. Stephen was a doctor at the Caberwell Infirmary and he was already
tired of routine, so he wanted to go in Spain. After the narrator's advice he
left . After 15 years the doctor lived in Sicilia with other woman in an
ordinary Spanish house and his consulting room which led out of it littered
with paper, books and lumber. From here we understand that he was not
ordered and lives with today.
Maugham uses some stylistic devices, so that his story would be more
expressive. There are a few metaphors (“a prisoner in a solitary tower”),
epithets (“bacchanalian smile”), allusion (reference to Silenus). There is also
alliteration (“round red face”, “short, sharp sentences"). He uses some
syntactic devices, too: inversion (“The clothes he wore, terribly shabby they
were…”, “But this I can tell you…”), ellipsis in dialogues (“Why Spain?”),
but mostly he writes complete sentences, which makes his characters’ speech
somewhat elevated and tells us that they are well-educated as they are both
doctors.
How we know all story of Maugham have a question , in this story is : to
advise or not to advise? Maugham gives us an example when the advice
helped.
I like this story, it stimulates us to reflect on many things like, "what we
want from life" .I think this story is very captivating and interesting.

Palade Cristina