Would you like the key to true happiness? It seems people are not often happy because of the way the world is. But, there is a way to give meaning to your life which brings happiness. In the story, “Haven't I Made a Difference!” by James Herriot, we find out that a lady named Mrs. Donovan finds great happiness and excitement in helping a dog who has been left in a horrible situation. We see from plot, character, and irony of this story that happiness can come from doing acts of kindness.

We can see that acts of kindness make us happy through the plot of this story. Mr. Herriot is a veterinarian in a small town named Darrowby. Mrs. Donovan always gives the animals medicine, shampoos, and powders that are very helpful. Mrs. Donovan is very upset when her dog dies. One day Mr. Herriot learns about a dog in a cruelty case that is very sick and neglected. Mr. Herriot knows that Mrs. Donovan is the best person to take care of the dog. On page 76, Mr. Herriot tells the animal inspector, “If anybody in Darrowby can give this dog a new life it's her.” Mrs. Donovan is happy to take the dog and she cleans him up and takes care of him. The dog starts to get better and becomes a beautiful Golden Retriever.  Mrs. Donovan is very proud of what she has done and says to Mr. Herriot, “Haven't I made a difference to this dog!” This shows that she really cares for the dog and is happy that she did the best she could to help him. Mrs. Donovan’s act of kindness saved the dog’s life and brought her true happiness.

Mrs. Donovan’s character also shows us that happiness comes from doing kind things for others. Mrs. Donovan is a busy body. She is also an animal doctor who sometimes interferes with Mr. Herriot’s clients, but she means well and tries to help. Mrs. Donovan is a person who likes to help without getting anything in return.  On page 70 it said, "Mrs. Donovan had an endearing habit of never charging for her advice."  She would stay up all night with an animal and smile because she had been able to pull it through. The idea of an animal being in pain makes her feel sad. When her dog got hit by a car she said, “Do you think he suffered at all?” She would confide in Mr. Herriot’s clients and they believed her and had implicit faith in her. Mrs. Donovan had condition powders and dog shampoos to improve animal coats. It made her happy to be able to help the the animals.

We see from the irony of this story that acts of kindness bring happiness.  Mrs. Donovan lost her very special little dog when he got ran over by a car.  She was sad and depressed. She thought she would never be able to replace her dog.  On page 72 Mr. Herriot said, “And let me give you a bit of advice- you must get another dog. You'd be lost without one.” Then Mrs. Donovan said, “No, I couldn't. That little dog meant too much to me. I couldn't let another take his place.”  Mrs. Donovan doesn't think any dog in the world could replace the one that she had. When Mr. Herriot kept trying to convince her to get another dog, she said,” Mr. Herriot, I’ll never have another one. Rex was my faithful friend for many years and I just want to remember him. He’s the last dog I’ll ever have.”  But then when she sees the dog that is sick, she felt so bad that she wanted to take care of him.  She ended up loving that dog very much, just like the other one. She was never depressed again. She was happy that she took care of the other dog.

The title shows us that happiness comes from doing nice things for others.  The title “Haven’t I Made a Difference!” tells us that helping someone or an animal makes a difference in their lives.  In the title, Mrs. Donovan is not asking a question, she is making a statement to prove that her help was everything to the dog that she saved. On page 77 Mrs. Donovan made the statement “Haven’t I made a difference to this dog!” to Mr. Herriot. She was making sure that Mr. Herriot understood how much she helped the dog.  Mr. Herriot agreed with her and said, “He’s the most beautiful dog in Yorkshire.”  This made Mrs. Donovan very happy.

This story teaches people to be happy by helping others, including animals. The plot tells us Mrs. Donovan is happy again when she helps the new dog. Character in this story tells us that being a loving, caring person brings joy. The irony of this story tells us that even when we don't plan on helping others, that when do help others, it brings happiness. We should all find a way to help people and or animals. If you do acts of kindness, you will find the key to true happiness.


Work Cited List

Herriot, James. “ Haven't I Made a Difference!” All Things Bright and Beautiful: St Martin’s Press, 1973, 1974