As Chris Gardner quoted in the movie, Thomas Jefferson wrote about the “pursuit” of happiness in the Declaration of Independence. Chris uses this quote to identify a part of his life journey, where he details the events of his life before he reached the “happiness” stage of life. In his journey, he experienced the hardships of being a father, a salesman, and a stockbroker. Chris’ success through these hardships came from his naivety, his decision to keep his son, and, overall, his determination. Chris has clearly demonstrated his naivety in the mistakes he made as a salesman. Although he had the best intentions, his decision to invest his family’s life savings to sell “bone density scanners,” in the beginning, left him with the inability to pay his rent and his son almost being taken away from him; however, as Chris faced the hardship of being a father, these machines became his only source of income and supplied him with reliable shelter, at least for a few weeks. Chris also forewent his financial responsibility of paying taxes, a mistake which left him …show more content…
Multiple times while he was out selling scanners, he had to chase down a stolen scanner. Although he may not have retrieved the device, he understood the importance of selling all of his machines so he could maintain a survivable income. His persistence as a salesman is a profound reflection of his determination. He did not wish to stay a salesman, however, and participated in an unpaid internship so he could improve his circumstances. Because the internship was unpaid, Chris had to sacrifice time that would have otherwise been spent selling his machines, losing potential income each day of his internship. The sacrifice Chris made demonstrates his understanding of his financial well-being and how he is determined to improve. Chris’s efforts and determination were rewarded with his key to success: a job at the