Summary Of The Lamp At Noon By Sinclair Ross

Can the actions of an individual pursuing happiness affect the lives of others around them? “ The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.” 一 Eric Hoffer. When seeking for better in life, many end up disappointed and unhappy. In the short story The Lamp at Noon by Sinclair Ross, the author describes the extent in which one will go to pursue happiness. In other words, the strategies Paul uses to achieve absolute contentment may also be his greatest source of unhappiness. In order for Paul to truly seek out his happiness in the land, he blocks out Ellen & the baby. At the dinner table,Ellen makes a comment on how there’s dust in everything and how it comes faster than she can clean. Paul answers her by telling her how

Paul tells Ellen that their family “keep(s) on right where they are. At least I do. It’s yourself you’re thinking about, not the baby” . We can see how paul’s belief that the land will be viable after the storm takes his focus away from the problems at hand. His obsession with the idea that his land will be adequate enough to grow his crops turns his judgement to believe that leaving the farm is silly when they have enough to survive on the farm. Because of his mislead judgement, Ellen and the baby are both suffering from the dust storm, as shown in the quote: “...a fear had obsessed her that in the dust-filled air he might contracts pneumonia. There was dust settling everywhere. Her own throat was parched with it.” The baby begins to get sick and Ellen worries. She wants to leave the farm to keep the baby healthy struggles to get Paul on board when he’s more focused on waiting the land out. As a result of that, the baby ends up dying from the

Following a heated discussion between Paul and Ellen, Paul storms out to the stable. When there “Paul ran his hand over the ribs, and felt a sudden shame, a sting of fear that Ellen might be right in what she said”. Paul notices that his wife isn’t the only one struggling to live on the farm, but that he is simply just blind to reality by his thoughts. His quest to find happiness in the land left him in shame. He blocked out Ellen’s desperate call for help which caused him to be upset later on, after realizing his mistake. “What, then, could he hope to do for his wife and son?”. Paul’s sudden realization of the conditions of the farm and its animals open his eyes fully to the state of Ellen and their son. When realizing Ellen was right and taking in her words, he realizes the fact that no matter how hard he tries to preserve the land and create a profit off his crops, he’s barely able to take care of his animals. How is he supposed to take care of his family? The profit either way still wouldn’t be enough to support his family throughout the years. Paul’s search for happiness in the land and the faith he put into it left him with a unhappy state of mind and