The happy man William Somerset Maugham is one of the best known English writers of the 20th century.

William Somerset Maugham (1874-1966), a well-known English novelist, short-story writer, playwright and essayist, was the son of a British diplomat. He was born in 1874 in Paris and educated at King's School in Canterbury, studied painting in Paris, went to Heidelberg University in Germany and studied to be a doctor at St. Thomas Hospital in England. Although Somerset Maugham did not denounce the contemporary social order, he was critical of the morals, the narrow-mindedness and hypocrisy of bourgeois society. Maugham became internationally celebrated; his plays were performed all over the world. Now independent and well able to enjoy life Maugham began to travel. He traveled a lot and spent long periods in the United States, the South Seas and China. But his favourite country was Spain and a great deal of his works devoted to it. For instance The Happy man that was written in 1927. Somerset Maugham's style of writing is clear and precise. He does not impose his views on the reader. He puts a question and leaves it to the reader to answer it. When criticizing something he sounds rather amused than otherwise. The whole first paragraph of the story is devoted to the narrators expressing the opinion on life, the manner of bourgeois society and the danger of ordering the lives of others. Then the author goes on telling a story that once happened to the narrator. He was a young man and lived in London when once a stranger come to his flat, asking for an advice. This man was family man, a doctor. He was too tired from his boring and monotonous life in London. His dream was go to Spain, he knew about it from the narrators book. But the narrator hesitated to give advice and he said if Stephans wants to change his life he should go there. Then some years later the narrator had a chance to be in Spain. He having some difficulty in health visit English doctor. This doctor was Stephens. He become into satisfied and happy man with beautiful wife, good job and life, which he had dreamed a lot. He thanks the narrator and said that he was absolutely right.

The main idea of the story is that the person can make oneself happy only by own strength and persistence. Everything is in our hands, dreaming about something isnt enough; we must do something that to achieve our goals.

In the story we meet two main characters: the narrator and Stephens. He always observe details which reveal Stephens inner state: he (Stephens) had some difficulty in lighting cigarette without letting go off his hat. He quickly did this and while doing it dropped his umbrella. We can understand what kind of person is Stephens because we can see everything from the narrators point of view. Stephens represent and images. The first is Stephens who lives in London. He sensitive and emotional, the proof is being the usage of metaphors and epithets in his speech. Each one help of this metaphor the author shows the narrators outlook on the relations between people and the impossibility of knowing a person well enough to give him advice. The next metaphor: There are men who flounder at the journeys start is aimed at making speech more colorful and interesting, so that the whole scene readily presents itself to the readers eye It is an unhappy man, bored with his life, who doesnt find air one can breathe in London. Stephens inner state, his emotions are depicted through the narrators evaluation of Stephens sentences. He finds striking and sharp. These epithets are used by the author to show that Stephens could not really stick his life any more. He is fed up with the routine of being a medical officer because that was all he had to look forward the far the rest of life. Even good money of London cant stop him from leaning for an uncertainty in Spain.

The second image of Stephens is a happy man, maybe it because now, he live in Spain. He satisfied with his life though he is rather shabbily dressed. The happiness and content with life can be seen through all the narrators description of Stephens appearance: his eyes twinkled gaily, his face bore and expression of perfect good-humor. This metaphor helps us to get the idea of Stephens happiness. The exaggeration Stephens uses I wouldnt exchange the life I have had that of any king in would shows the highest degree of being happy. Another exaggeration used by the author you couldnt have imagined a more delightful creature to drink a glass of wine with is aimed at revealing the authors positive attitude to Stephens So, the two images a happy and unhappy man are opposed to each other. The stylistic device used in this case, it is the contrast, its function is to bring some phenomena in opposition and find differentiate features. This Stylistic device helps us to state the main idea of the story, which twists around the theme of happiness. Stephens found his happiness in

Spain, where is air one can breathe while in London there was no possibility for him to enjoy life. The contrast between Spain and London shows the drawback of Londons society in which Stephens wouldnt like to live any longer. While his wife, who preferred to go back to Camberwell, found her happiness there. Thus the main idea states that every person has his own understanding of happiness. As far as the narrator is an educated person, he uses literary vocabulary mostly, for instance, such words as errand, flounder, squeamish, silences. Connotation of words is positive and the way the author uses the literature teams makes the story understandable and close to the readers. The stylistic devices, used in the story, make the narration more interesting and attracting readers attention. They reveal the object of depiction in a deep manner and make the narration more emotional. The author uses the contrast on the level of the text. With its help he conveys the main idea of the text, his attitude to the characters.

The story is written in the first person narration. The narrator presents in the story, he is a participant of the actions. The story has an open plot-structure. It has an exposition, a body itself, a denouement. The text is very expressive and emotional because the thoughts and feelings of two persons are described there. The first paragraph is a monologue of the author, it`s an exposition. Here we see the narrator`s negative attitude to giving advice. The subject-matter is sustained by a number of key-words: dangerous, hesitated, can only guess, irreparable, who am I, confused, hazardous, can lead but once. The author expresses his attitude using a lot of stylistic devices. He uses them that to render his idea, his view more precisely. The author gives a lot of arguments for supporting his point of view. He used an extended metaphor: Life is a difficult business and I have found it hard enough to make my own a complete and rounded thing. There are men who flounder at the journey`s start, the way before them is confused and hazardous, and an occasion, however unwillingly, I have been forced to point the finger of fate. I have seen myself for a moment wrapped in the dark cloak of Destiny Here the author again accentuates his negative attitude. It`s really often difficult to built our own life nothing to say about the other`s one.

The author uses a simile: each one of us is a prisoner in a solitary tower and he communicates with the other prisoners, who form mankind, by conventional signsthe author compares people with prisoners, a man is a prisoner of his life, problems, each one has own problems and treats them differently. All sentences are extended, with a lot of details. The author used different length of sentences to accentuate the idea and make the atmosphere more dramatic. The last part is denouement. When the author looked at Stephens with an estimating look. When he learnt that he `s satisfied with his life, he had everything he wanted. The Key-words are enjoyed myself, he knew a good bottle of wine, eyes twinkled gaily, perfect goodhumour, a wonderful life. This part begins with a long paragraph where the author presented the description of Stephens. Here the author used a number of adj. and adverbs (fat, bald, gaily, shabby, flashy) that to help the reader to imagine his appearance, how he changed after their last meeting. His black eyes flashed a bacchanalian smile. Here we see an antonomasia, the author used the name of a Phrygian god of wine, to accentuate the same qualities.( Stephens also was good at wine , he knew a good bottle of wine when he saw it). In the same way the author compares him with Silenus, a Greek mythological character, also the God of wine. The plot of the story is built gradually. The author prepares us for every actions, gives a description, an argument that the reader can understand everything better.

I think that the author tells some psychological problem, that many peoples are not satisfice with their life. They feel upset because of that, but the most important thing is to have enough courage to change it for better. Maybe we need to find the people who will tell us haw to change our life, for me is my parents and friends.

Ratoi Elena, L24E