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Bruh
Bruh
Andrea Perez
Professor Ditch
English 113B
25 March 2020
Many people have different point of views when it comes to being happy. Some people
depend on their families and friends to make them happy; others are more independent. In the
book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie
Barrows two characters Juliet Ashton and Sidney Stark go through different personal challenges
in their life which leads them to ultimately figure out who they are. Sidney does everything he
can just so Juliet can succeed while also dealing with internal struggles of his own, such as
hiding his sexuality. Juliet is more of an independent woman who is highly invested in her career
as a writer, while still being there for her friends and family, but also going through the struggle
of finding herself and what ultimately makes her happy. Sidney puts his focus on helping out his
family and friends while still doing his part which is being the editor for Juliet’s book. This takes
place during World War II, as it has shown to be very deadly, so trying to be happy, or showing
some emotion during this time is a bit hard. Aside from looking out for Juliet’s happiness, Stark
also deals with his own identity as a gay man during the time of World War II and the conflicts
he faces. Though Stark finds himself with inner conflicts because of his identity and the fact that
he cannot fully express himself, ultimately his happiness comes from seeing Juliet happy and
succeed. Stark finds his happiness from his happiness from his selfless love to Juliet and their
friendship. Juliet finds her happiness from being a strong independent woman and her passion
Sidney Stark has been really close friends with Juliet for over 20 years, he is an editor for
her book. Sidney cares deeply for his family and friends, since that’s who he can trust the most.
Sidney has a younger sister named Sophie, who he cares about deeply. Sidney has a lot of love
for Juliet and wanting to see her succeed in whatever she desires. He cares a lot about her love
life, her career in writing. Sidney’s friendship with Juliet makes him happy. Sidney cares a lot
about Juliet’s future, whether it is through her writing books or her love life because, he sees her
as a little sister. In the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Sidney says “if
she marries him, she’ll spend the rest of her life being shown to people at theaters and clubs and
weekends and she’ll never write another book. As her editor, I’m dismayed by the prospect, but
as her friend, I’m horrified. It will be the end of our Juliet. (pg.194) What Sidney means by this,
is he knows that Juliet strives off writing, it’s her passion. As her editor he’ll be sad, but as her
friend he’ll be devastated because, he knows how much Juliet loves writing. This shows how
Sidney cares for Juliet and her future, and it shows how he strives off her happiness. In the article
“How Happy Are You and Why?” by Sonja Lyubomirsky, she talks about “happiness is not out
there for us to find. The reason that it is not out there is that it is inside of us.” (pg.147) This
means that happiness is not meant to be found through your exterior emotions but more so of
your inner feelings. This shows how Sidney’s inner emotion and happiness is found because, of
his close bond with Juliet and his sister Sophie. Sidney Stark comes out as homosexual; coming
out during the World War II era, is not something that is seem as normal. He risks being
persecuted by the Nazi’s but he stays positive above all because of his family and friends
support.
Many people can argue that because Sidney Stark is homosexual and he has to hid his
feelings and emotions to people he cannot be happy like that. In the time frame of World War II,
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it doesn’t allow him to come out freely to society and so he has to hide his inner feelings; which
can lead people to say that he is not happy. Which is a valid point because, how can someone
who is forced to hide their true identity and feelings be happy in real life. But for Sidney it is
different because he strives off his family and friends support and happiness. Sidney is hiding his
homosexuality to other people that are not important to him, and because it can be a huge risk
letting non family members know his sexuality. He revealed to the people he loves how he feels
which is all he needs. Sidney doesn’t need the approval of anyone else besides his close family
members and friends. Sidney is happy because of the love and support he receives and gives to
Juliet Ashton is someone who you can describe as independent and open. She is 33 years
old living in London. She is a very independent woman who loves to write. Her love for writing
is what ultimately makes her excited and happy. She started off by writing funny stories but she
felt like she wanted to be respected in writing. In the book she says “I don’t want to be
considered a light-hearted journalist anymore.” (pg. 4) meaning she wants people to know her for
something more than just comedy or laughter. She wants to be known for writing deeper things
and improve her writing even more. Which is why starts to write 3 different articles about
Guernsey and The Society for a more mature style of writing. By writing these more mature
books and articles will help her improve and make her a better writer. Juliet’s love life has had
its struggles in the past as she did end one engagement and denied another one. She started
dating Mark Reynolds and although she liked it, he decided he wanted to propose but she
ultimately said no. In the book she says “One year as his wife and I’d have become one of those
abject, quaking women who look at their husband when someone asks them a question.”
(pg.214) Which basically means that if she would have stayed with Markham, she would have
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become someone who she isn’t and would be devoted only to Mark which was not her
whatsoever. Juliet being an independent woman she decided she didn’t want to live that lifestyle
and ultimately had to make a tough decision for her future and happiness. In the article “The
Source of Happiness” by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler they say “Because
that person has another source of worth, another source that gives him or her a sense of dignity,
another anchor, there is less chance of that person’s becoming depressed if his or her fortune
happens to disappear” (Cutler pg.23). What this means is that if their fortune happens to
disappear, they have another source of happiness or worth. The Dalai Lama and Cutler both
believe that internal happiness is what truly matters, which basically is Juliet and Sidney; internal
happiness helps them overcome whatever issues going on in their life. This connects back to
Juliet because, even if she doesn’t end up with someone, she has her writing to keep her
motivated and happy. In the article, I Am Busy Independent Woman Who Has Sense of Humor,
Caring about Others’: Older Adults’ Self-Representations in Online Dating Profiles by Mineko
Wada he talks about how dating while being an independent person can be tough especially since
they are known to only look out for themselves, but it is possible to be happy and have a dating
life. Which would mean that Juliet’s relationship with Mark might have not worked out, but does
not mean that in the future she will not have luck finding someone. Which ultimately is the key
factor for Juliet, she doesn’t need a love interest to make her happy. For Juliet to be happy all she
Many people can argue with the fact that having multiple failed relationships in the past
can be pretty hard for her to be happy. Which makes total sense because, finding love is an
important part in being happy, but for Juliet she is an independent woman and whether some
relationship do not work out it helps her improve and become a better person for a future love
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interest. Just because some relationships do not work out doesn’t mean you can’t be happy, it is
the total opposite it helps you move on, find and focus on yourself which is exactly what Juliet is
doing. Juliet shifts her focus on writing books, which allows her to express herself. So, Juliet can
still be happy even though her love life isn’t going as planned right now.
In conclusion both Sidney and Juliet are happy because, for Juliet being happy comes
with her writing books and articles she is passionate about and her loved ones, as she does
different things to improve it like writing more mature books. She is an independent woman who
lives her life trying to improve everyday whether it is in her relationships or friendships but most
importantly to write books which is her real source of happiness. In today’s world being an
independent woman is what everyone strives for, back then woman was seen to just be a wife not
an independent woman, so it has come a long way. Sidney’s happiness comes from the support
of his family and friends. Before Sidney being homosexual would have been such a risk for him
as he risked getting executed by the Nazi’s in today’s world being homosexual doesn’t define
them, and they are free to express themselves and not have to hide from the world. Sidney cares
a lot for Sophie his sister and Juliet so in any way he can help them, makes him very happy. He
also strives on being Juliet’s editor, it keeps him busy and helps him help Juliet which is what
Works Cited
Lyubomirsky, Sonja. “How Happy Are You and Why.” Pursing Happiness, edited by
Shaffer, Mary Ann, and Annie Barrows. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie
The Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler. “The Sources of Happiness.” Pursing Happiness,
Wada, Mineko. “‘I Am Busy Independent Woman Who Has Sense of Humor, Caring
about Others’: Older Adults’ Self-Representations in Online Dating Profiles.” Ageing and