Symbols and motifs

The film The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) directed by Gabriele Muccino contains several symbols and motifs. These offer a deeper significance to the characters’ development and to the events that take place in the film.

Symbols

The graffiti

The misspelled graffiti on the wall of Christopher’s daycare center, “The pursuit of happyness” is an important symbol in the film. Chris notices the misspelling and becomes obsessed by it. He always points it out or notices is whenever he passes it, advises Christopher that it is not spelled correctly, and even requests a janitor to correct it. It is possible that the misspelling echoes a larger worry that Chris has about the lack of education that Christopher is receiving at the daycare. However, Chris’ concern with the misspelling of that particular word also mirrors his feelings about his own unsuccessful pursuit of happiness. Chris’ annoyance with the misspelling is in fact annoyance at his own failed pursuits. Similarly, the frustration he feels every time he notices that the mistake has not been corrected represents his frustration his own inability to reach his goals. 

 It is worth noting Chris’ choice of words when he explains the misspelling: “It’s an I in ‘happiness. There’s no “Y” in ‘happiness’. It’s an I.” (00:04:39-00:04:44). In other words, he is upset that happiness does not include him. The symbolic meaning of Chris’ words here is that he deserves to be happy: the “I” in happiness actually refers to him. Also, it is worth noting that the letter ...