The Happy Man's Shirt '

In the Italian tale, The Happy Man’s Shirt, one of the themes is that happiness is not defined by what a person has. An example of this is at the beginning, when the king realizes that his son is always unhappy. “‘What on earth do you lack?’ asked the king. ‘What’s wrong with you?’ ‘I don’t even know myself, Father.’ ‘Are you in love? If there’s a particular girl you fancy, tell me, and I’ll arrange for you to marry her, no matter whether she’s the daughter of the most powerful king on earth or the poorest peasant girl alive!’ ‘No, Father, I’m not in love.’” (Author page) This quote helps show that the king is willing to get anything for his son to make him happy, but the prince won’t be happy. Here is where the author displays the common idea that parents always want their children to be happy.
As the king was out hunting, he heard a man singing out in the country and approached him, “‘Good day, Majesty,’ said the youth. ‘So early and already out in the country?’ ‘Bless you! Would you like me to take you to the capital? You will be my friend.’ ‘Much obliged, Majesty, but I wouldn’t even consider it. I wouldn’t even change places with the Pope.’ ‘Why not? Such a fine young man like you…’ ‘No, no, I tell you. I’m content with just what I have and want nothing more.’” (Author page) After denying other people because they were not truly happy, here the king starts to realize that there may be hope for his son. Although we do not know much about this man, it is easy to infer that the man may not have a lot. However, he is very happy with what he has, even if it isn’t very much. In addition, the theme is illustrated when the king decides to take the man’s shirt for his son. “The king grabbed him and started unbuttoning the youth’s jacket. All of a sudden he stopped, and his arms fell to his