Happiness is something that is sought by all humans, regardless of their demographics, chances are if you are human, you wanted to be happy in one way or another. The obsession with achieving and/or maintaining happiness is as old as human survival itself, it's just an educated guess, just look at how far we've come since the Stone Age. Humans have created many ways to be happy, from simple pleasures to lavish lifestyles, all in the pursuit of happiness and mental well-being. Happiness is a difficult state of mind to measure and when we evaluate our success in achieving happiness in life, the results vary from one individual to another. Some people need so little to be happy while others are never satisfied and find it impossible to achieve the desired level of happiness. The only common goal of every human being is to achieve happiness, some focus on the present while others work hard to hope to be happy in the near future. Tolstoy's story "The Death of Ivan Illych" describes how Ivan measures happiness and why he did not achieve his life's goal. Elmire in Molière's Tartuffe represents an excellent example of living a happy life even in a delicate situation. Happiness is not the product of favorable circumstances or always making the right decision, but the ability to value what you have and make the most of it. In this text, I will discuss the contrast between these two characters and the role that a positive state of mind plays in the quest for happiness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayIvan Ilyich seems to have followed a guide to success and happiness established by the people he considered important and admired. “Neither as a child nor as a man was he a toad, but from his earliest youth he was by nature drawn to people of high rank as a fly is drawn to light, assimilating their lifestyles and their conceptions of life and establishing friendly relations with them. » (Tolstoy 9). Ivan has followed the road map he considers most prosperous to achieve the goal of happiness and, in doing so, has adopted others' perceptions of what success and happiness should look like. He understood from a young age that he would have to work hard to succeed and live a happy and meaningful life. Ivan's perception that happiness is a goal rather than a present and ongoing state of mind caused him to lose sight of the simple pleasures of childhood and other stress-free activities. The character of Elmire in “Tartuffe” is a strong and elegant woman who demonstrates a great personality. control and resilience in the face of life-changing decisions that would affect one’s happiness. Unlike Ivan, who is well educated and finished law school among the top of his class, little is known about Elmire's background. Above all, Elmire showed more elegance and class by dispelling the misunderstanding with Tartuffe. Her knowledge of people, especially men, and their weakness gave her the confidence to outwit Tartuffe and expose him to her husband. Not only was she witty and astute, but she made the best of the situation, instead of letting herself be harassed by Tartuffe, she took advantage of the situation to solve another problem that was affecting her current happiness. This problem was the marriage of Valère and Mariane. "Some might be offended by your confession, but I will show a certain.