In "Son," Andrew Solomon w1ites about rhe experience of both children and parents who are challenged by the dissonance between what they expect f rom the future and what they actually gee. Children...

In "Son," Andrew Solomon w1ites about rhe experience of both children and parents who are challenged by the dissonance between what they expect f rom the future and what they actually gee. Children feel trapped by parental expectations, and parents sometimes see their dreams destroyed by the adults their children become. ln what ways do Solomon's refh::ctions both confim1 and complicate Gilbert's claims about the ways we "stumble" into happiness? Although Gilbert often makes a convincing case for the limitations of our abiJity to foresee the real sources of our happiness, he has less to say about our role in finding happiness at last. Do we really "stumble" into happiness, or is happiness an achievement that requires creativity on our part? Does Solomon himself get to happiness more or less by accident, or does it require him to actively become the author of his own life?