68 pages • 2 hours read
This Is Happiness
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Themes
The Transformative Power of Storytelling
The theme of storytelling plays a prominent role, helping to navigate the past and the present, fact and fiction, pain and healing. The novel positions storytelling as not merely a means of conveying information but a deeply human endeavor that shapes our experiences and provides shelter from suffering. As Noe himself states, “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” (49). Traditionally speaking, Ireland has a rich history as a country fueled by an oral storytelling culture, and Williams’s portrayal of Faha remains true to this ideal. As Noe puts it, “Story was a kind of human binding. I can’t explain it any better than that. There was telling everywhere” (4). This quote speaks to the power of stories as a vital thread in the fabric of human connection. Thus, the inhabitants of Faha are not merely consumers of each other’s stories but are also active participants in the creation and propagation of iconic tales. These narratives serve as the lifeblood of the local community, encapsulating and influencing the villagers’ understanding of the world and their place within it.
Noe’s assertion that “story was a kind of human binding” (4) also underscores the essential role of storytelling in shaping communal identity and fostering social cohesion. Through stories, the inhabitants of Faha learn about their shared past, engage with their present, and imagine their future. They make sense of their experiences and navigate their shared reality. Moreover, in a world not yet dominated by data and factual knowledge, stories serve as a source of wisdom and a tool for understanding complex realities. The people of Faha do not solely rely on facts but also embrace subjective stories as a valid form of knowledge. They concentrate their values around human experience, emotion, and intuition as pathways to understanding. The statement “there was telling everywhere” (4) thus reflects the pervasive influence of storytelling throughout the community of Faha. A fundamental part of their day-to-day life, storytelling serves as a shared ritual that transcends the barriers of age, status, and experience. This constant exchange of stories entertains, educates, and creates a shared cultural memory and a sense of belonging among the community members.
In accordance with these values, Noe himself proves to be a masterful storyteller as he intricately weaves his recollections and imagination together to bring the past to life. This fusion of memory and imagination is essential to the narrative, adding a layer of richness and depth to Noe’s tales that could not be conjured by simply relating events as and when they actually happened. Noe’s nonlinear style thus demonstrates the inherent subjectivity of storytelling, emphasizing that stories, much like memories and history, are often colored by our personal biases and emotional states. Facts, history, and memories are inevitably reshaped and transformed by the mind of the storyteller, especially with old age and time. As Noe puts it, “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” (80). Noe’s admission that his imagination influences his memories of past events underscores the transformative power of storytelling. By blending reality with elements of fantasy, Noe constructs a vibrant past full of life, a past that exists not just as a series of factual occurrences but as a living, breathing entity that continues to influence the present. The dry historical events of the past thus become a story worth reading, one that conjures an alternate world. Noe understands this dynamic and uses it to his advantage, likening the purpose of stories to that of music, which is to defeat time and space, to inhabit an elsewhere, and to allow listeners to transcend the boundaries of the self. Irish music, in its improvised and fluent connections between various melodies and reels, create a “sound-map” in which “time and space are defeated” (116), and for Noe, stories also create a map of human experience and bring people closer to the truth than simple facts and history ever could. As Noe concludes, “[S]ometimes the truth can only be reached by exaggeration” (216).
Thus, the boundary between fiction and history is ultimately less important to Noe than the need to relate a deeper philosophical truth. When reflecting on his version of past events, Noe states, “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” (182). Despite this admission that he often confuses reality and fantasy in his recollections of the past, Noe nonetheless asserts that maintaining a stark boundary between the two is not important, for the skill of the storytelling itself is what makes events worth telling and imbues those events with a deeper meaning. The point of reflecting on his past is not to recount events with perfect accuracy, but instead to gain a better understanding of a vital time of his life, and “to get the listener across the gap into the skin of the other” (210). His complex story thus brings life, meaning, and purpose to factual events and occurrences of the past. He likens his own storytelling to Irish music in particular, equating the ability of the two art forms to articulate “ecstasy and rapture and lightness and fun as well as sadness and darkness and loss” and asserting that in the “rhythms and repetitions was the trace history of humanity thereabouts, going round and round” (364). With this comparison, Williams asserts that the art of storytelling encapsulates the essence of human life and that without stories, people would simply be left with a dry historical timeline of events devoid of any deeper meaning.
Storytelling also serves as a form of solace throughout the novel: an escape from the harsh realities of life. For Noe and the other characters, stories become a refuge from suffering, a way to make sense of the incomprehensible and find meaning amid the chaos. At the end of the novel, Noe offers a critical reflection on the nature and importance of storytelling, stating, “We all have to find a story to live by and live inside, or we couldn’t endure the certainty of suffering” (371). Storytelling thus becomes a means of healing, allowing characters to revisit past traumas and wounds through the safety of a narrative and actively reframe their experiences, transforming pain into a source of wisdom and strength. In this way, storytelling becomes a form of therapy, a testament to the human capacity for resilience. In the novel, storytelling is understood as a vital human impulse, a lifeline that connects us to our past, shapes our understanding of the present, and provides a pathway toward healing. The novel thus underscores the power of storytelling to imbue human lives with meaning, provide solace in times of suffering, and serve as a beacon of hope. Ultimately, Williams implies that stories are not just retellings of the past but are instead vibrant tapestries of human experience that continue to resonate long after the final page is turned.
Creating Meaning Through Love
The novel advocates for love as a central part of the human experience and portrays it as an intricate force that reshapes lives, decisions, relationships, and memories. For Noe, the world is woven together by love, and he describes its dynamics in almost electrical terms, defining the search for love as “an invisible current that, despite faults and breakdowns, was all the time being restored and switched back on and was running” because “the signal was still on, still pulsing, and still trying to love” (379). The novel therefore constructs a detailed emotional landscape in which familial, platonic, and romantic love intermingle, revealing their transformative effects on the characters, all in the name of “the dream of the betterment of the other” (379).
In accordance with this philosophy, the novel foregrounds the enduring love between Christy and Annie despite the gulf of pain and misunderstanding that separates them. A testament to love’s enduring quality, their story is filled with decades of longing and countless moments lost in time. Their unrequited love is a source of deep suffering, joy, and meaning, and this theme is clearly demonstrated each time Christy sings, as is evidenced by Noe’s reaction to his first performance, when he is transfixed by a quality in Christy’s voice that says, “Listen, here’s a human being who has suffered for love” (73). Christy’s regret and silent suffering over the years speak to the lasting pull of love across entire lifetimes, for like the point of a flame, love burns with the potential to instill hope and meaning and to create intense suffering and pain. Furthermore, the love narrative of Christy and Annie infuses a layer of melancholy into the story, intensifying themes of loss and longing. Ironically, Christy and Annie can only reconnect in the end via the technology of the telephone, and thus an aspect of the technology that divides the town serves to bring them together in the end. Although they never see each other in person for more than a moment, they are still able to achieve a measure of emotional healing, falling in love all over again before Annie dies and Christy leaves Faha. Williams thus presents their narrative as a reminder that not all love stories reach a conventional happy ending, yet that does not diminish their value, emotional depth, or significance.
This weaving of love stories gives rise to another narrative: first love, through the relationship between Noe and the Troy sisters. An embodiment of innocence, intensity, and the unavoidable sting of heartbreak, the romance between Noe and Sophie in particular is marked by youthful exuberance and naivete. Noe barely knows Sophie and exchanges very few words with her, and thus, “like all male lovers he had quickly built a rose-coloured version that matched his own hope” (155). Nevertheless, this transformative experience of first love leaves an indelible impact on Noe, which he revisits decades later, contemplating its nuances and potential meaning for his life as a whole.
Alongside the nuanced exploration of romantic love, This Is Happiness dives into the depth of familial love, a trend that becomes particularly evident in the bond between Noe and his grandparents. This relationship, steeped in mutual understanding and respect, becomes a pivotal point for Noe and acts as a critical anchor allowing him to navigate the turbulent waters of adolescence. Additionally, the community of Faha itself harbors many examples of interconnected love, for even if residents do not share blood relations with each other, they are still bound together by their shared life experiences, religion, and geographical location, all of which interweave to create a supportive web of care and understanding. Another subtle yet profound form of love explored in the narrative is the love for one’s chosen place: the idea of home. Despite Faha’s many limitations, Noe’s affection for the town lingers through the years, demonstrating the impact that a person’s first formative environment has on emotional identity. In an even more existential example of love, Williams conjures the natural world’s inherent affection for aspects of itself, creating a world “where the fields were in love with the river” (2). Ultimately, the novel implies that love, like rain and like happiness, is something so built into the fabric of life that it is easy to take for granted, to ignore, and to lose sight of, but it is like a dream to which humans can always return. In the end, for Noe, “the purpose of human beings [is] to love” (220).
The Balance Between Tradition and Progress
One of the most prominent themes in the novel, especially when considering the historical context of 1950s Ireland, is tradition versus modernization. The novel demonstrates the intrinsic tensions and interplay between the past and the future and explores ways in which people seek to preserve their heritage amid the inevitability of change and progress. Much like Noe’s acknowledged tendency for self-contradiction, the people of Ireland during this time were gripped by nostalgia for the beauties of traditional life even as they were inevitably drawn toward modernization, and Williams evokes this conflict masterfully throughout the events of the story. However, the novel does not simply pit tradition against modernity. Instead, the story seeks to portray the delicate balance that societies must strike in their journey toward progress.
As previously discussed, the electrification of the small town of Faha is a symbol of the arrival of modernity. Yet this symbol of progress integrates with the town’s traditions rather than erasing them. The return of the rain at the novel’s conclusion underscores this notion, emphasizing that the age-old weather pattern, an embodiment of Faha’s traditions, will always endure amid the landscape of change. In this sense, Williams suggests that progress does not necessarily spell the end of tradition; instead, the two can coexist, shaping a society that is both forward-looking and deeply rooted in its past.
Williams’s narrative therefore celebrates the value of tradition as an integral part of identity and history. In a rapidly changing world, tradition, like music, offers a sense of continuity and grounding. As Noe states, “[Music] belonged to [the people of Faha] the way the rain did, the way the blackthorns on the ditches did, and whether it was a poor thing or not was of no consequence. It was theirs, and it was free” (313). As Noe reflects, tradition itself is also “free” in the sense that it is a gift from the past, not a chain that hinders forward movement. This idea introduces a metaphysical dimension to the dialogue between conservatism and progress, suggesting that the past, much like divine grace, is a gift––a wellspring of wisdom and insight to be drawn upon in the face of future challenges. Tradition itself is thus a story that must be honored and built upon as society moves forward.
Just as Williams maintains a primarily positive view of tradition, he also takes care to emphasize that not all progress is negative. The novel thus implies that progress is inevitable not just because the world is modernizing but also because the existence of certain things in society is intrinsically problematic and social ills urgently need to be replaced with better practices. For example, Noe states early in the novel, “Time has unpeeled a history of infamy for the country’s institutions, and failures of compassion, tolerance and what was once called common decency were not hard to come upon” (46). Yet, despite the ability of modernization to correct institutional or systemic injustices, progress also comes with its fair share of negative consequences, and Noe laments a variety of anticipated losses as the installation of electricity sweeps over the country:
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 (367).
Modernization thus risks erasing memory, and Noe wants his listeners to understand that things like music, story, and nature keep memory and tradition alive. In This Is Happiness, tradition is an intrinsic part of the communal and individual stories that inform the present and guide the future. Williams portrays the elements of tradition and progress as two forces that are not at war, but rather in dialogue with one another, each contributing its unique qualities to the fabric of life. Instead of viewing these two elements as being diametrically opposed, the novel encourages a vision of the future that draws upon past wisdom and actively integrates the old and the new into a harmonious synthesis.
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