Hazlitt On The Want Of Money Analysis

The Bible says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” However, why would we desire the luxurious lifestyle of the billionaires if we perceive money as “the root of all evil” and believe that “money can’t buy happiness”? To William Hazlitt, the pursuit for money is neither the source of evil nor the corrupter of one’s soul. In his essay “On the Want of Money,” Hazlitt advocates that money is the essential ingredient of a prosperous and comfortable life through parallel structure of “it is,” “or to,” “to be,” depressive tone, and sarcasm towards the end of the passage. Hazlitt portraits a miserable and pathetic life one will experience with “the want of money” through anaphoric repetition of “it is,” “or to,” and “to be.” The parallelism begins with the birth, “to be despised if you come into it,” continues with the youth, “to be scrutinized by strangers , and neglected by friends,” then the marriage, “marry your landlady,” the employment, “go out to the East

The “wiseacres” will “crowded round your coffin, and raise a monument at a considerable expense.” People who try to avoid you when you are alive will only praise you and give you money after your death. You will never have the chance to appreciate other’s respect in this world. Being such a “genius” as Hazlitt describes is meaningless. With a sarcastic tone, Hazlitt shatters the illusions of those who believe being impoverished will gain you respect in your afterlife. Using parallel structure, depressive tone, and sarcasm, Hazlitt convey the idea that money is the necessary ingredient of a prosperous and pleasing life in the context of 19th century British society. To Hazlitt, money is not “the root of all evil”, but the lack of money is. Being in “want of money” will lead to a pathetic life and alienate one from the