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<title> A house of happiness </title>
I've recently read the novel "The fifth child" by Doris Lessing. It's a story concerning happiness in its most perfect form - impossible happiness, that is. In this essay I will discuss this theme of the story and also look at the importance of setting. 

To me this book's main theme seems to be the search for happiness and lack of the same quality. We have this couple, David and Harriet, who together make plans to form a perfect family, because to them, that's what good fortune and happiness is. They see themselves as two very virtuous human beings and they're quite convinced that they'll succeed in the task of creating their own beautiful life, a life that will be totally free from sorrow and pain.

Both Harriet and David seem to be very generous people, but it's soon shown to the reader that this isn't the case at all. On the contraire, especially Harriet has a way of putting things that makes you wonder whether or not she is one to agree with. When you hear her talking about her sister's mongol child, you sense some kind of selfishness in this kind and good woman. The part where she says her believes are that her sister and brother in law are being punished with this child because of all their quarrelling (page 29), really shows what's actually going on in Harriet's head. She seems to be so busy making herself and her husband happy that she's unable to care about anyone else than those apart of her own household. She also appears to be convinced that in order for someone to be misfortunate, they themselves must have done something to deserve this. She's not able to accept the fact that bad things could happen even to those who are always happy.

Furthermore both David and Harriet think that this happiness is what they've earned and on page 28 it specifically says: "It was what they had chosen and what they deserved". There you have this obsession with happiness, this determination to be jolly, have a whole life filled with pure joy. Nobody ever stops to think about what would happen if something didn't turn out according to plan. They are the one couple who deserves to achieve happiness and that's why their going to get it, as well.

Harriet has an awkward look upon reality that I find very naive. You get the feeling that she sees the world through a pair of "fun-glasses" sprayed with diamond dust or something. The future looks bright, as it of course should, but when something finally happens she's not at all able to handle it. It's hard to be prepared for bad things to happen, but at least when they already have you should do something about it, instead of neglecting their existence.

That's what David does. He has this happy family and is satisfied with that, so when something threatens to turn his world upside down, he ignores it. He never feels as if Ben is his son and he doesn't have to think twice about sending him away. It's obvious then that the ones David is talking about on page 31, when he's insisting on the fact that "everyone should have a room" aren't the same ones as we put into the meaning of everyone. I would say that everyone means everybody, as Molly says: "Everyone in the world!". This means that Ben, although different, should be included in this term, but he's not. What David obviously means is that every one of us should have a place to call home, somewhere to go. He only sees Ben as a threat to his own beautiful family who is suffering a great deal with this monster in the house.

The house is the setting where most events take place. This big castle of theirs is very important, I think, to the story itself. On page 30 it is being described as "their fortress, their kingdom", outside which nothing is really real. Lessing tells us about how the society surrounding the house is changing for the worse, but is unable to reach into their home, at first. These are the happy days, but when Ben is born it's like the bad part of society finally makes its way into the Lovatt's home. Here the rotten society complete its task to destroy every bit of happiness there might be.

Also the social setting is important to the story. All these different couples and people who none of them seem to be very happy as a contrast to "our own" little beautiful family. It is also clearly shown that the outside world, Harriet and David's separate families and the tough city-life are the factors that cause all their problems.

I find the big house important also because of the fact that this is a horror story and what place would be better to act as setting than this old home filled with hidings and dark rooms?

However, I think that the main theme in Doris Lessing's novel, "The fifth child", is happiness. How to find it, how to keep it, perhaps also how to live without it once it's gone. Most of the story is seen from a very naive perspective, where there's no place for worrying about what might be, only for expecting the best to come. So the theme must be happiness and in this particular case it's concentrated to one special place, namely the big house in which David and Harriet live.
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