Great Expectations: Is Money Necessary To Live A Happy Life?
Katy-Beth Brownfield
Mrs. Voegtlen
8th Period Acc. English
5 April 2014
Is Money Necessary for a Person to Live a Happy Life?
There is a quote “Money is necessary for a person to live a happy life but does not, in itself, guarantee happiness.” In my opinion, it depends on what type of lifestyle you live. If you have an extravagant taste, for example, you will need money to satisfy your needs. But if you live a rather simplistic life, you won’t need nearly as much money to conciliate your desires. Overall, I disagree with this quote. In today’s society, having some type of income is necessary for not only happiness but for a continual existence. Without money, many of the necessities are out of reach. A person needs food, water and shelter to survive. A consistent supply of food costs money. Shelter means a house and a house requires a mortgage. Most things in our life require money things as simple as clothing! Without some money life is either very hard or very short. Either of these are not great options. I agree that a person needs some amount of money to be happy, but that doesn’t mean it guarantees happiness.
In the book ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens, money is one of the key factors in the plot. The main character, Pip, struggles with the idea of wealth and what it means to be happy. Even though he rises to the top of the social classes, he discovers that he’s not any happier with money then without. Pip’s humble origins were always a sore subject for Pip when he was growing up. Pip longed to be a gentleman and sweep Estella off of her feet. When Pip’s dream came true, he painfully discovered that having money didn’t solve his problems. Estella never liked him the way he liked her, and he found himself feeling horrible about himself. Pip discovered the hard way that money doesn’t fix problems.
Another example of money not fixing problems is that of Estella. Growing up in the Satis house, Stella was surrounded by wealth, and it never made her
Mrs. Voegtlen
8th Period Acc. English
5 April 2014
Is Money Necessary for a Person to Live a Happy Life?
There is a quote “Money is necessary for a person to live a happy life but does not, in itself, guarantee happiness.” In my opinion, it depends on what type of lifestyle you live. If you have an extravagant taste, for example, you will need money to satisfy your needs. But if you live a rather simplistic life, you won’t need nearly as much money to conciliate your desires. Overall, I disagree with this quote. In today’s society, having some type of income is necessary for not only happiness but for a continual existence. Without money, many of the necessities are out of reach. A person needs food, water and shelter to survive. A consistent supply of food costs money. Shelter means a house and a house requires a mortgage. Most things in our life require money things as simple as clothing! Without some money life is either very hard or very short. Either of these are not great options. I agree that a person needs some amount of money to be happy, but that doesn’t mean it guarantees happiness.
In the book ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens, money is one of the key factors in the plot. The main character, Pip, struggles with the idea of wealth and what it means to be happy. Even though he rises to the top of the social classes, he discovers that he’s not any happier with money then without. Pip’s humble origins were always a sore subject for Pip when he was growing up. Pip longed to be a gentleman and sweep Estella off of her feet. When Pip’s dream came true, he painfully discovered that having money didn’t solve his problems. Estella never liked him the way he liked her, and he found himself feeling horrible about himself. Pip discovered the hard way that money doesn’t fix problems.
Another example of money not fixing problems is that of Estella. Growing up in the Satis house, Stella was surrounded by wealth, and it never made her