Work and Happiness in the Death of a Salesman and the Remains of the Day What a person does for a living often defines who they are person. Because so much time and energy is invested in work, work is often seen as an extension of oneself. One of the first questions someone asks you after meeting you for the first time is what you do for a living. The belief is that by knowing what you do, you should be able to say something about who you are. People almost never ask you the more meaningful question of whether you are happy or not. They rely on the nature of the occupation to tell them something about your happiness. If you are a doctor, a lawyer or a celebrity, it is assumed that you are happy thanks to the money associated with such occupations. For some, income is a key determinant of happiness. Of course, money is a determining factor, but not the only one, of happiness. Happiness at work is best determined by the support for the values ​​a job provides. Happiness seems to be one of those words that can only be defined in general terms, like love. It's easy to know when you're not happy, but determining happiness is a little more difficult. People often say that they feel happy or that something makes them happy. Greeting cards are full of jokes that define happiness by saying things like "Happiness is..." and then comparing it to a kiss from your child or a puppy dog. If achieving happiness were really that trivial, no one would have much trouble achieving it. Happiness at work is actually a more complex recipe in which many personal ingredients are needed to achieve it as hoped. The ingredients or factors that determine happiness at work are universal as all workers need a combination...... of paper... If money could bring happiness, then more money could bring more happiness. Once again, when money is the highest value used to determine happiness at work, other values ​​are overshadowed or ignored. Unsatisfied values ​​eventually reveal themselves when monetary value is achieved. Without being satisfied with all values, it is not possible to achieve happiness at work. Richard Cory probably didn't know how to satisfy those once hidden values ​​and found his life very unhappy. Thinking that hard work will lead to financial success and happiness isn't a bad value, but as Richard Cory discovers, happiness based on money alone isn't possible unless that value is your only value. Works Cited and Consulted Hayman, Ronald. Arthur Miller. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1972. Ishiguro, Kazuo. The remains of the day. Vintage Books, New York NY: 1988.