This Is Happiness

“I can now say that another version of that happens in old age, when it occurs to you that since you’ve lived this long you must have learned something, so you open your eyes before dawn and think: What is it that I’ve learned, what is it I want to say?”

The sentence structure reflects anadiplosis, the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of a clause and the beginning of the next. In this case, the repeated phrase is “you must have learned something,” which is mirrored in the subsequent clause “What is it that I’ve learned.” This repetition emphasizes the importance of self-realization and reflection in old age. The quote also uses rhetorical questions (“What is it that I’ve learned, what is it I want to say?”) to stimulate the reader’s contemplations without seeking an actual response. These questions emphasize the internal reflection and self-questioning that accompanies old age. There is also a slight paradox in the idea that despite having lived for a long time and presumably having learned much, the speaker is unsure about what they have actually learned or what they want to convey.

“The shoes of all grandparents are inestimable mysteries, hold them in your hand and they are strange and tender somehow, and hers were particularly so, polished and worn, mucked and puddled and polished again with that kind of human resolve that to me is inexplicably moving.”

By describing the shoes as “inestimable mysteries,” Williams communicates the complexity of older adults’ life experiences. Shoes, objects that travel wherever we do, become symbolic representations of a person’s journey through life, carrying the weight of their stories and experiences. Additionally, the writer applies repetition for emphasis and rhythm, as seen in the phrase “polished and worn, mucked and puddled and polished again.” This repetition emphasizes the long and often challenging journey represented by the shoes and the cyclical nature of life itself, with its ups and downs, hardships, and resilience. Finally, the phrase “that kind of human resolve that to me is inexplicably moving” showcases an instance of emotional appeal or pathos. Williams thus transforms the seemingly mundane observation about a pair of shoes into an insight about human strength, persistence, and resilience.

“[S]cience had answers where religion had mysteries […]”

Williams employs antithesis here, a rhetorical device that juxtaposes two contrasting or opposing ideas to illustrate a significant conceptual dichotomy. The comparison between science and religion is made through the contrast of “answers” and “mysteries.” This contrast highlights the perceived difference in how each system attempts to understand the world—science through empirical evidence and tangible facts and religion through faith and acceptance of the unknown. Furthermore, this antithesis can be interpreted as a reflection of the changing times, suggesting a shift in societal values and perspectives from religious belief to a more empirical, evidence-based understanding provided by science.

“The fact is, I did not appreciate until much later in my own life what subterfuge and sacrifice it took to be independent and undefeated by the pressures of reality.”

The quote uses analepsis or flashback, for Noe reflects on his past and acknowledges his youthful ignorance. This backward glance in time provides context and depth to Noe’s current understanding, bridging the gulf between his past self and his current perspective. Simultaneously, the sentence illustrates a variety of abstract diction, for words such as “subterfuge,” “sacrifice,” “independent,” and “pressures of reality” are used to suggest the difficulty and complexity involved in maintaining independence and resilience amid life’s challenges. “Subterfuge” and “sacrifice” both imply that resilience and independence often involve complex strategies and personal sacrifices. Through this sentence, the author demonstrates Noe’s emotional maturity and wisdom gained over time, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the character’s personal journey and self-discovery.

“His life was written all over him. His eyes I’ve mentioned. I can see them still. It seems to me the true and individual nature of a human being’s eyes defy description, or at least my capabilities. They’re not like anything else, or anyone else’s, and may be the most perfect proof of the existence of a Creator. Maybe that old thing about eyes and the soul is true, I can’t say, but I did wonder the first time I saw him what gave a person eyes like that.”

In this quote, both metaphor and personification help to convey an understanding of Christy’s character. The phrase “His life was written all over him” is a metaphor that compares the visible signs of life experiences to written words, emphasizing how personal history can be conveyed through one’s physical appearance and demeanor. The focus on the eyes, which is repeated several times, reinforces the importance of sight and perception in understanding one’s character. The eyes, often called the windows to the soul, are here used as a symbol for Christy’s unique essence. This acknowledgment of the eyes’ ineffable quality speaks to the complexity and depth of human individuality, and even in the midst of Noe’s articulate storytelling, he still manages to emphasize that some things simply that cannot be fully grasped or conveyed through language. Finally, Noe’s musings about the eyes being “the most perfect proof of the existence of a Creator” is an example of analogical reasoning, suggesting that the unique and ineffable nature of human eyes provides proof of the existence of a divine creator.

“So compelling is the evidence of our own eyes and ears, so swift is your mind to assemble your own version of the story, that one of the hardest things in this world is to understand there’s another way of seeing things.”

Figurative language and rhetorical devices emphasize the idea of perspective and the human tendency toward the subjective interpretation of experiences. The phrase “So compelling is the evidence of our own eyes and ears” personifies the human senses, attributing to them the power to compel people to leap to certain conclusions based solely upon the subjective nature of perception. This passage thus suggests that human perceptions cannot detect objective reality; instead, they merely create a personal interpretation of one’s physical, psychological, and emotional surroundings. The author then underscores this idea through an example of synecdoche in the phrase “so swift is your mind to assemble your own version of the story.” In this statement, the world “mind” is used to represent the whole person, including their experiences, beliefs, and biases. The term “story” here is metaphorical, referring to an individual’s interpretation or understanding of reality.

“A key thing to understand about Ganga was that he loved a story. He believed that human beings were inside a story that had no ending because its teller had started it without conceiving of one, and that after ten thousand tales was no nearer to finding the resolution of the last page. Story was the stuff of life, and to realise you were inside one allowed you to sometimes surrender to the plot, to bear a little easier the griefs and sufferings and to enjoy more fully the twists that came along the way.”

The quote employs a metaphor to describe Ganga’s perspective on life and storytelling. The character’s belief that “human beings were inside a story” suggests that he views life itself as a narrative––an ongoing, unending tale. The statement that the story “had no ending because its teller had started it without conceiving of one” implies that the creator or force behind human life does not predetermine how that life will unfold, thus allowing for a sense of unpredictability and fluidity: key features of life as well as storytelling. Furthermore, the author uses another metaphor to describe life’s trials and tribulations when he writes “to bear a little easier the griefs and sufferings and to enjoy more fully the twists that came along the way.” This metaphor extends the idea of life as a story and presents an optimistic view: that recognizing oneself as a character in a narrative allows for a certain level of detachment, making it easier to cope with life’s challenges.

“May we all be so lucky to live long enough to see our time turn to fable.”

Here, figurative language is used to convey a wish and reflect upon the nature of time and memory. The quote is a metaphor comparing the passage of time and the aging process to the transformation of real events into a fable, which suggests a shift from fact to a more romanticized or idealized version of reality. This reflects the common tendency to embellish or romanticize the past as it recedes further into memory, often giving it a mythical or storylike quality. The phrasing “May we all be so lucky” positions this transformation as something desirable, almost as a blessing, further emphasizing the value of lived experiences and the power of stories in our lives.

“It seems to me the quality that makes any book, music, painting worthwhile is life, just that. Books, music, painting are not life, can never be as full, rich, complex, surprising or beautiful, but the best of them can catch an echo of that, can turn you back to look out the window, go out the door aware that you’ve been enriched, that you have been in the company of something alive that has caused you to realise once again how astonishing life is, and you leave the book, gallery or concert hall with that illumination, which feels I’m going to say holy, by which I mean human raptness.”

Again, metaphor is used prominently in this quotation, and the comparison of books, music, and painting to an “echo” of life suggests that while these three art forms can never fully replicate the richness and complexity of real experiences, they can nonetheless provide an approximation that prompts renewed appreciation for life itself. Figurative language is once again used to express the enlightening effect of engaging with art, for the “illumination” that one experiences is described as “holy.” This idea not only emphasizes the profundity of art’s impact on the human soul but also underscores the near-spiritual significance that the author attributes to such an experience. The term “holy” is therefore defined not in religious terms, but as an expression of “human raptness” that reinforces the centrality of the human experience to the creation and expression of art.

“The truth turns into a story when it grows old. We all become stories in the end. So, though the narrative was flawed, the sense was of a life so lived it was epic.”

The use of a metaphor is clear in the first line, with the assertion that “The truth turns into a story when it grows old.” This suggests that as time passes, the objectivity of truth tends to erode, and it becomes intertwined with personal interpretations, emotions, and recollections, thus transforming into a larger narrative. The line “We all become stories in the end” uses personification, assigning a literary construct (stories) to human beings. Lastly, the statement “the sense was of a life so lived it was epic” employs hyperbole to emphasize the extraordinary nature of the life being described. This serves to dramatize the narrative, positioning it as something remarkable and noteworthy. The term “epic” not only implies grandeur but also associates the life in question with the genre of epic literature, suggesting it is worthy of such a depiction.

“You can’t correct the mistakes of a lifetime. You are your own past. These things happened, you did them, you have to accommodate them inside your skin and go forward. Even if you could—and you couldn’t, can’t—there was no going back. Something like this was running through my mind.”

In the statement “You are your own past,” the author employs metaphor and personification to suggest that individuals stand as an embodiment of their history. This metaphor expresses the inseparability of people from their past experiences, underlining the weight and significance of personal history in shaping identity. The phrase “You have to accommodate them inside your skin” further extends this metaphor, implying that past actions and experiences are part of our very being and remain embedded within us. This passage thus offers a vivid image of how people’s pasts are intertwined with their present selves, emphasizing the inevitability of accepting the past as part of moving forward. In the final line, “Something like this was running through my mind,” the author uses a figure of speech to describe thoughts as if they were physically moving through the speaker’s mind, further accentuating the depth of introspection and contemplation.

“‘How long is it since you saw her?’ ‘In the flesh? Near enough fifty years.’ I nearly laughed. ‘But in every other way, some time every day since.’ And that stopped me. That was one of the things about him. He walked this line between the comic and the poignant, between the certainly doomed and the hopelessly hopeful. In time I came to think it the common ground of all humanity.”

This quote employs dialogue to reflect emotional sentiment, irony, and the complexity of human emotion. The author uses irony when one character responds with a time frame of “[n]ear enough fifty years” since he last saw someone “in the flesh,” only to follow up with “But in every other way, some time every day since.” This reflects the irony of human longing and memory; despite the physical absence of someone, their presence can be felt through memories and emotional ties. The character walks “this line between the comic and the poignant, between the certainly doomed and the hopelessly hopeful,” and the author’s use of contrasting pairs underlines the contradictory nature of human emotions and experiences, which often swing between hope and despair, laughter and tears.

“‘Only God knows. But He is old and needs reminding.’ He raised his voice and to the thatch said: ‘Wonders coming for Noe and Christy.’”

Elsewhere in this same passage, Christy, the speaker, characterizes God as being “old and needing reminding.” His act of speaking directly to the thatched roof as if it is a direct channel to God thus adds a layer of whimsy and charm to this passage, showcasing his faith and hopeful optimism despite his gentle irreverence. This action also creates a dramatic scene that highlights Christy’s role as a compelling storyteller and adds dynamism to the narrative. The statement “Wonders coming for Noe and Christy” introduces an element of foreshadowing, suggesting that despite uncertainties, there are good things in store for these characters. This sentiment embodies the themes of hope and anticipation that run through the narrative, underlining the human capacity to remain optimistic in the face of life’s uncertainties.

“A story grows in the gaps where the facts fall short.”

This quote uses personification: Stories are portrayed as living entities that grow in the places left vacant by facts. This device enhances the metaphor that underlies the entire statement, making the abstract storytelling process feel more concrete and dynamic to the reader. The quote also employs another metaphor, comparing the storytelling process to the natural growth process, suggesting that stories, like living organisms, can evolve and expand, filling spaces that facts cannot occupy.

“From the distance of half a century it’s impossible to remember which bits came from which sources, and in which order, and I’m not alone I suppose in sometimes thinking a thing I’ve imagined happened. I may be alone in thinking that doesn’t matter.”

This quote uses the narrative device of an unreliable narrator, a common literary element, to create suspense, uncertainty, and deeper insight into a character’s psyche. Here, Noe admits to the possibility of his fallibility in distinguishing between imagined events and actual ones. This increases the complexity of the narrative, adding an extra layer of subjectivity to the reader’s perception of the story. The passage also contains an example of anaphora—the repetition of a phrase at the beginning of clauses—in “I’m not alone I suppose in sometimes thinking a thing I’ve imagined happened. I may be alone in thinking that doesn’t matter.” This repetition creates emphasis and rhythm.

“Forgive an old man. I say this here because pretty soon you get to a place where you’re not sure there’ll be a tomorrow, where you think I better say this now, here, because not only is time no longer on your side, you realise that it never was, that things were passing by faster than you could appreciate, and whole marvels, the quickening green of springtime, the shapeless shaped songs of unseen birds, the rising and falling of white waves, were passing without you noticing.”

The author’s personification of time as an entity that was never on Noe’s side establishes its status as an abstract antagonist against which Noe is powerless. This device adds a layer of existential conflict and pathos to the novel, emphasizing the relentless, uncaring passage of time. Furthermore, the author uses a series of vivid sensory images, like the “quickening green of springtime,” “shapeless shaped songs of unseen birds,” and the “rising and falling of white waves.” The use of asyndeton (omission of conjunctions) in the listing of these images creates a sense of breathlessness, further emphasizing the speed at which these marvels of life pass by.

“In his manner and im-person, he brought the State, and in doing so, in his standing there, squat, rigid and bull-headed, in his use of a tone and language hitherto unknown inside the stone walls of that crooked house, an easier and more natural way of living was nearing its end. Because, it occurred to me, in Faha, and places like it, people had been making it up as they went along and making it up out of no rule book but the one they had been born with, that is an innate sense of right and decency, the rough edges of how to live alongside others having been knocked off not by ordinance or decree but by life.”

Metaphor is used to articulate the significant cultural difference between the “State” and the native way of life in Faha. The character representing the State is described as “squat, rigid, and bull-headed,” a metaphor which highlights the uncompromising, imposing, and intrusive nature of the government. Meanwhile, the people of Faha are depicted as “making it up as they went along,” suggesting a more flexible, adaptable, and organic way of life, shaped not by external rules but by a shared innate sense of “right and decency.”

“It seems I remember that. It seems unlikely too.”

Through paradox and subjective memory, Williams explores the nature of memory and its effect on perception and self-understanding. This juxtaposition of two contradictory statements captures the unreliable and often paradoxical nature of memory. The author implies that memories can be vivid and convincing, making people believe that they remember something clearly, yet despite their certainty in the truth of their recollections, they may simultaneously feel that such a memory is unlikely or too fantastic to be true.

“He sang it as if no one was listening but her. And all of Faha felt the same. In the face of the raw feeling, through a perfect stillness people made themselves invisible. Christy sang all the verses. He sang as though he was sending the song after her, as though the air and words of it could escape the confines of time and space and soon enough reach the next place where she was gone.”

Christy singing “as if no one was listening but [Annie]” is a metaphor that captures the intensity of his focus and the personal nature of his performance. This description not only portrays the depth of his feelings but also creates an intimate atmosphere despite the fact that his performance is heard by an entire town. Imagery is used extensively in this passage to conjure mental pictures that enhance the emotions at play. Descriptions like “through a perfect stillness people made themselves invisible” create a quiet and respectful scene, reinforcing the notion that the song is a private communication between Christy and Annie despite the public arena in which it is performed. Finally, personification is present in the phrase “as though the air and words of it could escape the confines of time and space,” where inanimate elements like air and words are attributed to the human ability to move freely. This device provides a sense of the transcendent power of song and emotion, suggesting that they can traverse both physical and temporal boundaries to reach a loved one.

“Then Ganga, who had heard little that was exact of what had been said, but had already developed a deaf man’s intuition for the gist, smacked his hands together, and, turning his round beaming face on us, defeated all arguments by an unassailable conclusion: ‘Aren’t we happy as we are?’”

The rhetorical question “Aren’t we happy as we are?” is central to this passage, for it encapsulates Ganga’s stubborn attachment to the traditional status quo and challenges the other characters’ willingness to embrace technological change. On a more personal level, however, it also implies that happiness is a state of mind rather than a result of circumstances, suggesting a philosophy of contentment and acceptance. It also creates a pause in the narrative, encouraging the readers to reflect on their own state of happiness. Additionally, dramatic irony is subtly present, as Ganga, despite being less aware of the exact conversation due to his hearing impairment, is able to grasp and articulate the underlying essence of the conversation and perhaps even see the truth more clearly than those fully engaged in the conversation.

“In time, the windmills would be coming. Gairdín na scoile and Páirc na mónaigh would be bulldozed to straighten the bends in the road to let the turbines pass. Any trees in the way would be taken down. Two- and three-hundred-year-old stone walls would be pushed aside, the councillors, who had never been there, adjudging them in the way of the future. By that time, my grandparents’ house would be another of those tumbledown triangles of mossy masonry you see everywhere in the western countryside, the life that was in them once all but escaping imagining.”

This passage employs foreshadowing and vivid imagery to express a sense of inevitable change and loss, reflecting on the encroachment of modernity onto traditional ways of life. The phrase “In time, the windmills would be coming” employs foreshadowing to predict a future that seems to loom over the present. The use of passive voice also enhances the sense of inevitability and the impersonal nature of the impending change, as though it is beyond human control or choice. The vivid imagery of a future in which traditional edifices and objects have been discarded also underscores the speaker’s sense of loss and nostalgia. The suggestion that the vibrant past life of these places is becoming unimaginable emphasizes the dramatic, potentially irreversible transformation that modernity will bring. Thus, the quote paints a somber picture of the impact of progress, suggesting that while it may be unstoppable, it should also prompt reflection on what it forces people to relinquish.

“The truth is, like all places in the past, it cannot be found any longer. There is no way to get there, except this way. And I am reconciled to that. You live long enough you understand prayers can be answered on a different frequency than the one you were listening for. We all have to find a story to live by and live inside, or we couldn’t endure the certainty of suffering.”

Metaphors and philosophical undertones are used to explore the concepts of time, reality, and human endurance. The opening sentence, “The truth is, like all places in the past, it cannot be found any longer,” uses a metaphor to equate truth with “places in the past.” This comparison underscores the ephemeral and elusive nature of truth, just like the past, which becomes inaccessible once it has occurred. The line “You live long enough you understand prayers can be answered on a different frequency than the one you were listening for” equates prayer with the technological concept of a radio to convey that life’s outcomes may not always align with our initial expectations. This metaphor subtly suggests the need for flexibility and openness in interpreting life’s experiences. The concluding sentence likewise implies that all narratives, whether they are personal, cultural, or religious, serve as essential coping mechanisms for facing life’s hardships. This statement employs the literary device of metonymy, using the word “story” to represent an entire belief system.

“And so, because, at the end, we all go back to the beginning, because of the enduring example of Christy telling his story down the line to Annie, because after more than sixty years my mind is back in that place among those people from whom I took the lesson of how to be a fully alive human being, I will carry on here, carry on through the electric pulses of this machine to tell the one story we all have, the one we’ve lived.”

The phrase “at the end, we all go back to the beginning” symbolizes the cyclical nature of life and human experiences. This concept of life as a circle is a common motif in literature, often used to depict life’s inevitable return to its start. The author also utilizes the metaphor of “electric pulses of this machine” to represent writing or storytelling. This metaphor evokes the idea of transmitting experiences and emotions, emphasizing The Transformative Power of Storytelling and its ability to preserve and communicate human experiences over time and space. Furthermore, the repetition of the phrase “carry on” demonstrates a persistent, relentless approach to life and storytelling. It accentuates Noe’s commitment to sharing his life story, implying a strong conviction in the power of stories to shape and define our humanity. This repetition also adds rhythmic emphasis to the text, reinforcing its core message.