Pursuit of Happiness, Essay Example

Introduction

The movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, depicts a unique story through the eyes of the protagonist. Chris Gardner, the main character, narrates the struggles he had during an economic recession while living in San Francisco in the 1980s. Chris looses all of his possessions, his wife leaves him, and he is homeless with his young son. When all else fails, Chris has to use what he has been equipped with by God to provide for his son and regain economic stability. The ironic concept about this story is that Chris stumbles upon the profession of stock brokering. He was walking the streets of California trying to find someone who would buy one of his bone density machines. He sees a man get out of a nice sports car. Using his assertiveness, he asks the driver what type of job he needs to drive a car like that. The owner tells him that he is a stock broker. So, if Chris had not been in the predicament that he was in, he never would have asked and found out about stock broking.  With only a high school education, Chris is able to defeat each barrier he faced while trying to become a stock broker and eventually becomes a millionaire. In the Pursuit of Happyness, the writer connects with the viewer by equipping Chris with assertiveness, effective communication, and determination, which are common human qualities, to convey that obtaining happiness is left up to the individual.

Chris vs. Wife

Chris and his wife are facing the same challenges and barriers; however, they each handle them in a different way. This is a typical argument among couples-money. This is a great technique to draw the viewer in to the story line. Very early on, the viewer is able to see Chris’ qualities.  Chris uses assertiveness, which can be defined and being self-confident without being aggressive. He speaks out and lets his wife know exactly why he is upset and what he thinks they should do. On the other hand, his wife is very passive.  She withdraws and gives up. She is doing her best to avoid confrontation. She does not really tell Chris that she is leaving; she just packs her belongings and lives. Essentially, she stonewalls by refusing to cooperate or communicate and then leaving the situation. Nevertheless, Chris did not use criticism when he had to tell his son that his mother was not coming home. A good example of stonewalling occurs when Chris is trying to talk to his wife, but she continues to interrupt him and will not allow him to finish. She gets very angry and tells him “whatever” and states that she does not care. She uses contempt by belittling him and saying that she does not want to hear any stories about his scanners. When he tries to console her, she pulls away and rolls her eyes. She completely shuts down and walks away in the middle of the conversation.

Chris & Son

There are many occasions when non-verbal communication, or communication using anything other than speaking verbally, is being used between Chris and his young son. The most often used is eye contact. Whenever Chris talks to his son, he makes a point of using eye contact. I think the writer clearly uses this because eye contact is very important to African Americans. For such a long time African Americans had been taught not to make eye contact. Chris is ensuring that his son makes eye contact with whomever he is talking with.  If he begins talking to him and he does not look at him, he calls his attention to gain eye contact. For example, in the movie Christopher was playing basketball and Chris told him that basketball may not be his talent. Young Christopher is obviously disturbed by what his father has told him and seems very solemn. He goes to put his basketball inside a shopping bag. Chris realizes that he has wounded the little boy’s ego, so he gives him a pep talk. While Chris was talking, Christopher was not making eye contact with his dad. So, Chris gets his attention and tells him to pursue his goals no matter who tells him he should not. Another form of nonverbal communication that Chris uses is crying. Although Christopher does not see it, had Christopher not been there with him he would not have cried. This occurs when Chris and Christopher are spending the night in the restroom in the subway station. Chris placed newspaper on the floor so they could sit down and as soon as he locks the door someone starts knocking. It is at this point, that I believe Chris was on the verge of quitting and giving up. The tears were of frustration and exhaustion.

Interpersonal Skills

Chris is facing many obstacles, but he remains positive and determined not to give up. Overall, the writer is conveying that Chris Gardner could actually be anyone. He did not have any special skills or education. He just worked very hard and took what he had to make the life he wanted. Throughout the movie, just when he does not feel it can get any worse, it does. For example, at one point he had to resort to selling his plasma to get money for food. Prior to this happening, he had just sold one of his bone density scanners and made $250 dollars. He and Christopher got a hotel for the night instead of staying at the shelter. However, when he checks his account he realizes that the IRS has garnished his money for back taxes. He is infuriated because that was all the money he had. Nevertheless, he does not become so angry that he quits. Another great skill that Chris possesses is his assertiveness. He displays this during his internship and Dean Whitter. He decides to take ass few bathroom breaks as possible to ensure that he would be able to call as many clients as the younger interns, who were able to come in earlier than him. He also learned that he could save time by not placing the phone on the receiver after each call. Using these techniques he was able to call just as many clients in 6 hours as other interns did in 8 hours.

Conclusion

Any person could use assertiveness, effective communication, and determination to reach their goals. Chris is quoted saying that he wondered why he couldn’t be happy just like the people he saw. At the end of the day, everyone desires to be happy. Nevertheless, each person’s concept of happiness may be somewhat different. Nevertheless, the writer is conveying that essentially all people desire to be happy and that happiness comes from connection and relationships with others.  Some people consider having money as a form of happiness, while others believe that having family and health is the best form of happiness. Essentially, I believe that each person is in control of his/her own happiness. Most importantly, one’s happiness cannot be dependent upon the happiness of someone else. Every human being desires a connection with others and to feel loved. In order to pursue these desires, we may use various forms of reinforcement. Having power over someone else may make a person feel important and happy. As a result, there are various ways that affection is shown. Some choose to show affection through monetary means, while others desire quality time with the people they love. Happiness is in the heart of the beholder.