By Narayan Saimbi
How many of you have tried to pursue happiness in life? I know I certainly have. Hours and hours spent searching for something both unrealistic and intangible, all to no avail- a very Sisyphian notion, if I do say so myself.
One of the best depictions of this uphill struggle comes from the Wes Anderson classic, Fantastic Mr Fox. In a creative adaptation of the beloved Roald Dahl novel, Anderson shows us that there’s greater purpose in finding contentment than in the pointless pursuit of fleeting happiness.
The Plot
Fantastic Mr Fox follows our titular character, Mr Fox, as he tries to relive his glory days of stealing chickens and outwitting farmers.
In this pursuit of happiness, and the desire to be ‘fantastic’, Mr Fox puts incredible strain on his relationships with his family and friends, with a huge load bearing on his marriage in particular.
When the farmers eventually find out Mr Fox is stealing from them, they seek revenge on him, using indiscriminate methods of damage and destruction in order to drive Mr Fox out of his den. Whilst they do manage to shoot off his tail, Mr Fox and the rest of the animals manage to escape temporarily. However, this does not stop the farmers’ onslaught on the animals, with them vowing to stop at nothing until Mr Fox is dead.
There’s a very poignant moment of interaction between Mr Fox and his wife, Mrs Fox, that takes place after the farmers have driven all the animals into the sewers. The two have a moment away from everyone else, and Mrs Fox breaks down in front of her husband, imploring him to tell her why he’s put everyone in danger and ruined everyone’s lives. This moment of emotional breakdown is initially met by a lack of accountability from Mr Fox, claiming it’s because he’s a “wild animal”.
Image credit: Flickr
However, he shortly realises the reason why he put everyone in danger, and why he didn’t stop when he didn’t need to steal any more. In this poignant moment of internal reflection, Mr Fox admits that he chases the feeling of everyone thinking that he’s ‘fantastic’ over everything else that matters in life. His family, his friends- none of that mattered in this deluded pursuit of happiness.
After his nephew is kidnapped during an attempted heist to get his uncle’s tail back, Mr Fox and all of the animals work together to construct a plan to rescue him. Whilst Mr Fox does have an ulterior motive to get his tail back, and restore his pride, he quickly abandons this idea when it will inevitably lead to his nephew and son being put in mortal danger.
This fleeting choice in an action-packed moment bears huge significance to the character of Mr Fox. Instead of sacrificing everything to fuel his delusions, he chooses to put those close to him first, and abandons these selfish aspirations for what is ultimately a thankless task.
At the end of the film, Mr Fox and all of the other animals are forced to live in the sewers. But they’re all content with it, including Mr Fox. He even finds a grocery store nearby, so everyone can get enough food without having to risk death ever again. He has food and shelter, and his family and friends all around him. He might not be impressing everyone, but what he does have is good enough for him.
Image credit: Flickr
Conclusion
Mr Fox realises that placing happiness in intangible external factors is not a healthy way to live his life. The pursuit is never-ending, and only ends up hurting those closest to him. Instead, he settles for achieving contentment, realising that he has the most important things in life already around him. A loving family, good friends, food and water- what more can a fox want?
The story of Fantastic Mr Fox is not to settle for less, nor to never have any ambition. Instead, it’s a story that teaches us that the pursuit of happiness is just a myth. Chasing that feeling is a never-ending journey that only leads to upset, hurt and heartbreak along the way. Instead, we should be thankful for the things that we do have and cherish them for what they are.
Find purpose within ourselves and what we’ve got, instead of latching onto vague notions of unachievable enormity. If a self-proclaimed “wild animal” can realise that, I don’t see why we can’t.
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