Happiness is a sense of well-being, contentment and satisfaction. It's kind of a feeling. Happiness is subjective and difficult to measure. The interpretation of happiness varies from person to person. There are many factors that can influence one's happiness. For example, our thoughts, health, environment and living conditions, family harmony, social relationships, etc. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay This essay aims to explore whether the environment and living conditions are the main factors that influence a person's happiness. From the three selected stories (a. 'A Hunger Artist' by Franz Kafka b. 'The Boy Who Drawn Cats' (Japanese folk tale) c. 'The Standard of Living' by Dorothy Parker), it is shown that money cannot acquire happiness since happiness comes from the satisfaction of our ability to be content with life. Therefore, we should remain persistent and keep moving towards our dreams even if we are in a poor environment and living conditions. Success and success can bring us happiness and satisfaction compared to materialistic conditions. The theme of the story of "The Standard of Living" is conflicts between illusion and reality. Through the two young girls in the story, Annabel and Midge, the lifestyle of materialism is shown. Annabel and Midge were close friends. They worked in the same office in America as a stenographer. Annabel had invented a new game. The game brought them a million dollars and they wanted to buy a string of pearls which costs two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. They tended to do something similar to what rich people do. The two girls were obsessed with money. Their dream was not only to become a millionaire but also to rise to the highest level of social classes. Unfortunately it was just an illusion. The story of 'The Boy Who Drawn Cats' was about a boy, the son of a poor farmer. His parents decided to send him to the village temple to be trained as a priest. The boy learned quickly and was very obedient in many things except one: drawing cats whenever and wherever he could. The old priest eventually sent the boy away with advice to encourage him to become an artist instead of a priest. The boy, instead of returning home, went to the nearest village where there was a large temple. He didn't know that the temple was closed because a mouse goblin had appeared there. He saw a big white screen and started drawing cats. Eventually, his cats killed the goblin mouse. Later, the boy became a famous artist. Although the story of "The Boy Who Drew Cats" is a fictional folk tale, it illustrates the concept that a poor environment and living conditions cannot stop someone's dream. The little boy continued to pursue his dream even in a poor environment. His dream came true. He became a famous artist. Happiness comes from the satisfaction of his ability to become an artist. In contrast, the two girls in the story of 'The Standard of Living' live only in imagination and believe that materialism will bring them happiness. Girls could not achieve what they want if they kept imagining and without putting in the effort to change their lives. In the contemporary world, some students, who come from vulnerable families, do not have extra money or resources to study or attend tutored classes. Despite the unfavorable environment and living conditions, they remain persistent and study hard, eventually achieving good results in public exams. They try to change their destiny. Reflects what the result can bring them.