Which one of W.M. Thackeray's novels has the following as the closing sentence? "Which of us is happy in this world? Which of us has his desire? or, having it, is satisfied?"

Correct option is C

Explanation:

The closing sentence "Which of us is happy in this world? Which of us has his desire? or, having it, is satisfied?" is from William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair.

This question is posed by the narrator at the conclusion of the novel, encapsulating the central themes of the novel: dissatisfaction, the pursuit of desires, and the social and personal conflicts that define the characters' lives.

The novel critiques vanity and ambition through the lives of its two main characters, Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley, and the ultimate futility of their pursuits for happiness and fulfillment.

Information Booster:

William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863) was an English novelist and satirist known for his biting social commentary and keen observation of 19th-century English society.

His works often explore themes of social class, morality, and the consequences of ambition and vanity.

Vanity Fair was first published as a serial from 1847 to 1848 and then as a complete novel in 1848. It is Thackeray's most famous work, and it is often regarded as one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.

The novel critiques the social class system and the pursuit of wealth and status.

- The novel follows the lives of Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley, two women of very different social backgrounds, through their adventures in love, betrayal, and social climbing.

- Becky Sharp, the main protagonist, is a clever, ambitious, and manipulative woman who seeks to rise above her modest beginnings, while Amelia, her foil, is an innocent and kind-hearted woman who dreams of love and happiness.

- Throughout the novel, Thackeray exposes the hypocrisy, greed, and superficiality of the society in which they live. 

- The closing line underscores the novel's skepticism about the pursuit of material success and personal happiness, leaving the reader with a sense of melancholy about the unattainable nature of satisfaction in life.

Additional Knowledge:

The Luck of Barry Lyndon is a novel by Thackeray. This novel, which was published in 1844, tells the story of the rise and fall of the eponymous Barry Lyndon, a young Irishman who seeks to gain wealth and social status through deceit and manipulation. It ends with a different set of reflections on the protagonist’s fate.

Pendennis is another of Thackeray's novels, published in 1848, it focuses on the life of Arthur Pendennis, a young man who matures from an idealistic youth to a more self-aware adult, navigating his career, love life, and moral dilemmas.

The History of Henry Esmond (1852) is a historical novel set in the early 18th century, following the life of Henry Esmond, a soldier during the Jacobite uprising. The novel ends on a note of personal reflection and reconciliation.