Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Linda Pastan's poem "The Obligation to Be Happy" delves into the complex emotions surrounding societal expectations of happiness, the burden of maintaining a cheerful exterior, and the inner struggle against darker, more persistent feelings of sadness or discontent. The poem explores the tension between outward appearances and internal realities, capturing the weight of this emotional labor through vivid imagery and metaphor.

The poem begins with a powerful assertion: "It is more onerous / than the rites of beauty / or housework, harder than love." Here, the speaker compares the obligation to be happy to the demanding and often thankless tasks traditionally associated with women—maintaining beauty, managing a household, and even the complexities of love. By placing happiness above these burdens, Pastan highlights the significant emotional labor required to sustain it, suggesting that the expectation of constant happiness is an overwhelming and exhausting responsibility.

The speaker notes that others "expect it of me casually," as if happiness were a natural, effortless state, something as predictable as the sunrise: "the way you expect the sun / to come up, not in spite of rain / or clouds but because of them." This comparison to the sun rising suggests that others see happiness as an inevitable outcome, even in the face of adversity. The phrase "not in spite of rain or clouds but because of them" adds complexity, implying that happiness is often demanded precisely when circumstances make it difficult to achieve. This expectation reflects a societal pressure to remain upbeat and positive regardless of personal struggles or challenges.

The poem continues with the speaker describing how she complies with this expectation: "And so I smile, as if my own fidelity / to sadness were a hidden vice." The word "fidelity" suggests a deep, unwavering commitment to sadness, contrasting sharply with the forced smile she presents to the world. The idea of sadness as a "hidden vice" implies that the speaker feels guilt or shame about her true emotions, as if they were something to be concealed. This internal conflict is further illustrated by "that downward tug on my mouth," a physical manifestation of the sadness she tries to suppress.

The speaker's "old suspicion that health / and love are brief irrelevancies, / no more than laughter in the warm dark / strangled at dawn" reveals a deep-seated skepticism about the permanence of happiness and fulfillment. The image of laughter "strangled at dawn" suggests that joy and contentment are fleeting, easily extinguished by the harsh realities of life. This line encapsulates the speaker's belief that happiness is both fragile and temporary, overshadowed by the inevitability of disappointment or loss.

In the final stanza, the speaker attempts once more to "hoist" happiness "on my narrow shoulders again— / a knapsack heavy with gold coins." The metaphor of happiness as a "knapsack heavy with gold coins" conveys the idea that happiness is valuable yet burdensome. The speaker's narrow shoulders emphasize her struggle to carry this weight, underscoring the physical and emotional toll of maintaining the facade of happiness. The image of "stumbling around the house, / bump[ing] into things" suggests a disoriented and unsteady effort, as if the speaker is weighed down by the very thing she is supposed to cherish.

The mention of Midas in the poem's closing lines—"Only Midas himself / would understand"—is particularly poignant. King Midas, who turned everything he touched into gold, is often seen as a symbol of the dangers of greed and the emptiness of material wealth. In this context, Midas represents the speaker's sense of isolation and the hollowness of the happiness she is expected to display. Just as Midas's golden touch became a curse, the speaker's obligation to be happy feels more like a burden than a blessing.

"The Obligation to Be Happy" is a powerful exploration of the dissonance between societal expectations and personal reality. Through rich metaphors and careful attention to emotional detail, Pastan captures the weight of the expectation to be happy and the inner conflict it creates. The poem speaks to the universal experience of feeling pressured to maintain a positive exterior, even when it contradicts one's true emotions, and highlights the often overlooked complexity and difficulty of sustaining happiness.

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