In "The Telephone," the speaker claims that his "happiness" relies on that very appliance. He explains his joy by claiming that in the city, "Each person [is] separated from friends" by all the trappings of civilized life, things like public transportation systems. In other words, then, his telephone connects him, in an immediate way, to friends he might have lost touch with otherwise; maybe they live on opposite sides of the city.

Further, he says, his telephone tells him that he is "in the world and wanted"; when the telephone rings, it lets the speaker know that someone is thinking of him, that someone wants to speak to him, and this makes him feel significant. It is through the telephone that he learns about "love or gossip." Perhaps the phone rings because someone wants to invite him out, as this would prompt him to "go comb [his] hair"; before the phone call, he says, he "was like a bear in a cave."

When the phone rings, he feels that "spring has come" to wake him up, and now he has somewhere to be, something to look forward to. He feels excited to pick it up because he is "Hungry" to hear the "human voice and the good news of friends." The telephone is how he stays in touch with people, how he makes plans, how he gets news of people for whom he cares, and it lets him know that others are thinking of him and value him; this is why it brings him such joy.