A Journey Of Pursuing Happiness

The Assistant, Malamud’s second novel, is usually regarded as one of his bestworks, and his career reached its peak with the novel. There is no doubt that spiritualrebirth is one of the important themes of the novel. The novel described thedevelopment of the protagonist, Frank, who transformed from a robber to a moralperson, and grew from ignorance into maturity. The thesis takes Frank’s experiencesas the main line, analyzes it from Spinoza’s view of happiness, and discusses the threestages that Frank went through for obtaining happiness: prerequisite for happiness,obstacles to happiness and finally happiness attainment which left his soul at peace.This view of happiness has a realistic significance for contemporary society that laysmuch stress on materialism. The thesis is devoted to warning people of the danger ofmaterialism in modern age, and informing us that even in face of hardship we shouldstick to moral principles, examine our own conscience and pursue the true values oflife.