Anh Nguyen
Professor Wegley
ENG 102
18 January 2014
The Happiness Store: A Place to be Happy in Less Mundane Ways

Gary Larson has brought laughter to many people by his popular long-running comic called The Far Side. In one of these cartoon series, the character names Crawley was told by his friends: “You cannot buy happiness”. However, “Mr. Crawley surmised that they just didn’t know where the store was” (Figure 1). Humorously, Mr. Crawley’s conclusion about the reason why his friends could never buy happiness may be comical and eccentric, but it conveys Larson’s message about a common and reflective argument in our life as he identifies people’s different aspects of happiness and ways to accomplish it. Is simply painted in black and white with captions at the bottom, the single rectangular panel makes it easier for the readers to recognize Larson’s typical painting style and his message throughout the comic. Looking at the panel, what impresses viewers at the first glance is the “Happiness” store with a remarkable, large signboard on the corner of a crowded street. On the pane of glass, there are several flyers for advertisement such as “Complete your life”. Besides, that store selling happiness is the place which Mr. Crawley’s friends – the characters in the comic did not know. Thus, they were unable to purchase happiness. The hilarious point is that “happiness” is an abstract, ungraspable definition; how come there is a store selling it? Nevertheless, according to Henri Bergson – the author of “Laughter: An essay on the meaning of the comic”, the comic has logic of its own, even in its wildest eccentricities (Bergson). Since happiness is the most desirable and pleasant thing in the world, people may easily get the joke. After laughing, they start thinking and come up with some questions: Can we buy happiness? Where can we buy happiness? They are some of the most heavily disputed and researched questions of all time. In the first part of the caption, Larson mentioned one of the “common tragedies” in our life is that we can never buy happiness. Basically, buying something means obtaining in purchase; acquires by means of a financial transaction such as money. Many people believe money cannot buy happiness; it is easy to understand. Happiness is a feeling we find within ourselves as human beings. Therefore, an object like a store should not be able to define that happiness. Happiness is not based off of money since it has no price tag. Money only relieves stress up to the level of covering your basic needs, not happiness. For instance, with money we can buy material things (such as food, clothes, houses, etc.) which can ultimately bring a glimmer of joy. Still, money does not buy sincere and permanent happiness; it can only make you happy to an extent. However, Larson turned those things that people have always struggled with into laugher as he explained all because we just do not know where the happiness store is. Therefore, in his essay on “Laughter”, Bergson writes that if we step aside, look upon life as a disinterested spectator: many drama will turn into a comedy (Bergson). As the key point, the happiness store has highlighted and clarified the true meaning of the whole cartoon. Indeed, Mr. Crawley’s inference about why we cannot buy happiness supports theorist Henri Bergson’s interpretation of the comic: Laughter must answer to certain requirements of life in common (Bergson). Looking at every aspect in a simple way, the answer is already there. Mr. Crawley’s friends cannot buy happiness because they do not know where the store is. Similarly, you cannot be happy just because you do not know the methods to attain it. Money and materials may not directly bring happiness, yet it can be a useful leverage. In particular, if you have a lot of money but you do not know where to buy happiness, you can spend money on other people or on social activities. These social interactions lead to happiness; giving is receiving. Larson’s illustration pokes fun at this argument and attacks it directly. Abstractly, happiness is a rush; it is also a slow burn. Realistically, happiness comes on all at once but it also builds up, like a plot line with intense suspense or a comedy with deep meanings. We do not need to look for somewhere out there which is far away, that secret store selling happiness may be already inside our heart; the main point is whether we can find a way to that store. In essence, can happiness be bought? There might be no single answer applying to everyone. Some people have been struggled for life to earn money, but they are rarely happy. Some people are just simply happy in their own way. Actually, the point is your way to achieve happiness. Happiness cannot find you; it is what you find. Somehow, there is probably a secret happiness store out there waiting to be found, yet it is not as simple as driving to a store. Visually and humorously, Larson conveys his message by presenting the images of Mr. Crawley, his friends and the store selling happiness. By some means, we find our “happiness store” in less mundane ways. Always look inside and around you, happiness is near, but the darker life may have withheld it from you.

Works Cited
Bergson, Henri. “Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic” 1900. Trans. Cloudesely
Brereton and Fred Rothwell. N. pag. Project Gutenberg. August 2003. Web. 10 Jan 2014.
Larson, Gary. “The Far Side”. Cartoon. www.pinterest.com. Far Side sure miss you Larson.
15 Jan 2013. Web. 10 Jan 2014.