Happiness is a strange thing that many people see differently, and they also choose to believe what makes up their happiness. I believe that happiness is internal, with a bit of external, materialistic things, and that one can choose to be happy or unhappy. Everyone has a decision to make in life, difficult decisions to make, but in just about every situation is a good thing, the only problem people have is choosing to see the good side, or dwell on the bad side of the situation.

Sometimes people grow up in spoiled families and they grow up believing that happiness comes from how much money they have, how expensive their items are, or sometimes how much attention they get. "Being loved arouses anxiety, because it threatens long-standing psychological defenses formed early in life in relation to emotional pain and rejection, therefore leaving a person feeling more vulnerable" this shows why many people lave someone else, they believe that they are not good enough, this explains why in Ethan's case he chooses Mattie, the young, prettier girl rather than Zeena, his older, but not as pretty is his eyes, wife that he has, he chooses to fawn over Mattie  instead. "It was a fact that since Mattie Silver's coming he had taken to shaving everyday; but his wife always seemed to be asleep when he left her side in the winter darkness, and he had stupidly assumed that she would not notice any change in his appearance" this again shows that he wanted the 'better and brighter' thing in his life, and he always got what he wanted for the most part, so he was determined. Another supporting evidence that some people only believe that materialistic things, and it is not healthy for them either would be "A man felt a flash of anger when his wife told him he can't ride his bike Ina bad neighbor hood. Even though she was trying to protect himself felt anger and rage." This shows that he grew up being able to do whatever he wanted and not being told 'no' very often, causing him to be mad, although he should be happy since his wife was looking out for him and cares that much about him.
         

Sadly, some people try very hard to be happy, but one thing after another in their life keeps happening and they may need the support of others to keep going. Sometimes they are forgotten by someone they love or they are treated badly, but either way, it only makes them sadder and sadder. In Ethan Frome, Zeena is the one with sadness in her life and not many people around to cheer her up, "he had left her side in the winter darkness" this shows how Ethan doesn't care about Zeena, he would leave her in the dark rather than comfort her, "there was only one thought in his mind: the fact that, for the first time that Mattie had come to live with them, Zeena was to be away for a night." Also when someone experiences something happy, it's only for a little while before they go back to being sad and lonely once again. "It gives you that short-term high - an immediate boost of happiness - but like any drug your body adapts to it. Its effects go away."
         

The last way of happiness is internal happiness. It is a way of selflessness and goodness within someone. Many people struggle with internal happiness because it takes strength and a good heart to look at the positive throughout every situation. In Ethan Frome, there does not seem to be much of the internal happiness, but there are a few moments "It wasn't Ethan's fault, Zeena!" Mattie yelled in Ethan's defense, shows that she believes that standing up for Ethan is the right thing to do, even though she knows that Zeena already dislikes her. There is also evidence of this, "You have the ability to change how you interpret stimuli and how you produce both happiness and unhappiness." This explains how one person can choose to be happy or they can choose to be unhappy in the same way. A person can choose to be happy, which may come easy for some people, while some people choose to be sad and dwell on the negative side of things. "Little happiness bubbles are just floating around in the air and you have to grab and catch hold of them" this is the same concept, one may choose to be happy and uplifting, or sad and depressing, whichever they may choose, basically decides the lifestyle that they lead.
         

In both Ethan Frome, and reality happiness is never a constant thing, sometimes people need to have a rough patch in their life before being able to be satisfied and happy with their life, while some people just try to make the best of everything that gets thrown their way. In either situation, if someone gets down in the dumps or depressed, they may need someone to comfort them or someone to lean on during their time of trouble, but it is always possible for people to get back up on their feet and get back on track with their life if they have the motivation and strength to do it.