«Щаслива людина» Вільям Сомерсет Моем

Це небезпечна річ - розпоряджатися життями інших людей, і я завжди

дивувався самовпевненості політиків, реформаторів та інших, хто готовий
нав’язати своєму ближньому закони, що повинні змінити його манери,
звички та точку зору. Я завжди не наважувався давати поради, адже як можна
радити комусь як поводитися, якщо ти не знаєш його так, як знаєш себе?
Лише богові відомо, я не так вже й багато знаю про себе і я нічого не знаю
про інших. Ми можемо лише уявити думки та емоції наших сусідів. Кожен з
нас є в’язнем в одинокій вежі, що спілкується з іншими в’язнями, які
формують людство, умовними знаками, що не мають однакове значення для
інших так, як для них самих. А життя, нажаль, ти можеш прожити лише один
раз; помилки часто невиправні, тож хто я такий, щоб казати комусь як він має
прожити життя? Життя – це складна річ і я знайшов достатньо важким
сформувати своє власне повним та завершеним; мене не заманити навчати
мого сусіда що він має зробити зі своїм. Але є люди, що борсаються на
початку шляху, путь перед ними є збиваючою з пантелику та небезпечною,
та випадково, хоча й без особливого бажання, я був змушений піддатися долі.
Одного разу чоловік сказав мені, що мені робити із життям? І я виявив себе
на мить одягнутим в темний плащ Долі.
Але я знаю, що одного разу я дав добру пораду.
Analysis
The text under consideration is “The Happy Man” by a well-known British
writer William Somerset Maugham who was an English playwright, novelist, and
short story writer. Somerset Maugham has written 24 plays, 19 novels and a large
number of short stories. The most mature period of his life began in 1915, when he
published one of his most popular novels. Maugham wants the readers to draw his
own conclusion about the characters and events described in his novels. The most
prominent works by Somerset Maugham are: "Cakes and Ale", "Theatre", and
"The Razor's Edge". Realistic portrayal of life, keen character observation, and
interesting plots coupled with beautiful, expressive language, simple and lucid
style, place Somerset Maugham on a level with the greatest English writers of the
20th century.
The given short story is about two men who met at different stages of their
lives. The first man, the author, reflects on how other people's advices can change
lives. They are united by the fact that they are both doctors. But the second man
suddenly appears in the life of the first and asks for advice on how he can improve
his life. So, the first man advises the second to move to Spain, as he always
dreamed. Further, the narration is carried over 15 years later, when, by chance, the
first man travels to Spain and feels the need to consult a doctor. This doctor turns
out to be this second man who changed his life for the better, was unusually glad to
see his adviser and told what had changed in his life.
This short story belongs to the emotive prose and as such represents the
belles-lettres functional style, the main aim of which is to give aesthetic pleasure to
the reader.
As to the plot structure of the story, this is closed. The text has exposition,
which is at the very beginning of the text and ends by the sentence “ Once I know that
I advised well.” Then the rising action begins with words “ I was a young man…” and it

ends with the sentence “Many years later…” The culmination of the text is when the
first man meets the second in the Spain: “ 'Don't you remember me? Why, I'm here
because of something you said to me. You changed my whole life for me. I'm Stephens.'”

The falling actions begin when the second man start to tell about changes of
his life. The denouement is the last paragraph “As he stood at the door to let me out he
said to me: / 'You told me when last I saw you that if I came here I should earn just enough
money to keep body and soul together, but that I should lead a wonderful life. Well, I want to tell
you that you were right. Poor I have been and poor I shall always be, but by heaven I've enjoyed
myself. I wouldn't exchange the life I've had with that of any king in the world.”

As to the place of action, there are two spatial markers, which are both
direct: “I lived in a modest apartment in London near Victoria Station ” and “I happened to be
in Seville”. Also there is mentioned the other location which is not the spatial

marker, but it shows the coherence of the actions and reveals the essence of the life
of protagonist: “I'm a medical officer at the Camberwell Infirmary”. Also there is the
description of the place of the action: “He lived in an ordinary Spanish house, with a patio,
and his consulting room which led out of it was littered with papers, books, medical appliances,
and lumber.”

As to the time of the action, we have some: “ Late one afternoon…” and the
other one: “Many years later, fifteen at least…”
As to the types of narration, there are entrusted narrative and dialogue
speech. This creates the effect of authenticity of the described events as the
narrator is the personage of the novel who actually takes part in these events.
Function of dialogue – self-characterization of the personages – is achieved by the
fact that personages don’t know each other and they are getting to know each other
simultaneously with the reader.
As to the narrative compositional forms, there are narrative proper, exterior
(the house with patio) and interior description (consulting room): “ He lived in an
ordinary Spanish house, with a patio, and his consulting room which led out of it was littered
with papers, books, medical appliances, and lumber. ”, portrait: “I looked at him. He was very
fat now and bald, but his eyes twinkled gaily and his fleshy, red face bore an expression of
perfect good-humour. The clothes he wore, terribly shabby they were, had been made obviously
by a Spanish tailor and his hat was the widebrimmed sombrero of the Spaniard. He looked to me
as though he knew a good bottle of wine when he saw it. He had a dissipated, though entirely
sympathetic, appearance.” Also there is argumentation in the first paragraph which

represents some thoughts of the author about the power of advices. Here we have
some words of generalizing semantics “Each one of us is a prisoner in a solitary tower and
he communicates with the other prisoners”, “I have always hesitated to give advice ”. The first

paragraph represents the problem proper “I have always hesitated to give advice, for how
can one advise another how to act unless one knows that other as well as one knows oneself? ”,

and the second paragraph which is formed by one sentence “Once I know that I
advised well” shows us the solution of the problem.

The author employs different SDs and detail to depict the place of action and
the participants. There are a few metaphors “a prisoner in a solitary tower”, “I
have been forced to point the finger of fate”, “wrapped in the dark cloak of
Destiny”, antonomasia “It's not like Carmen, you know.” epithets “bacchanalian
smile”. There is also alliteration “round red face”, “short, sharp sentences”, “He
reached out for his hat and holding it in one hand…”, anaphoric repetition “I was
brought up by two old aunts. I've never been anywhere. I've never done anything.
I've been married for six years. I have no children. I'm a medical officer at the
Camberwell Infirmary. I can't stick it any more.”, “But there's sunshine there, and
there's good wine, and there's colour, and there's air you can breathe.” The author
uses some syntactic devices, too: inversion “The clothes he wore, terribly shabby
they were…”, “But this I can tell you…”, “a book of yours”, ellipsis in dialogues
“Why Spain?”, “Certainly”, repetition and parallelism “Heaven knows, I know
little enough of myself: I know nothing of others.”, “I led him into my sitting-room
and begged him to sit down”, “I've never been anywhere. I've never done
anything”, “Poor I have been and poor I shall always be”, antithesis “He had a
dissipated, though entirely sympathetic, appearance.”
The thematic vocabulary of the text is advice, fate, smile (which is similar to
“happiness” by the context), Spain, life.
As for the title words, they belong to the key vocabulary of the text which
reveals the author’s concept of that how some advices can change one’s life and
this changes are not always from the good point.