Today, we delved into the novel "The Moon and Sixpence." Published in 1919, it is one of W. Somerset Maugham's classic masterpieces. This book sparks eternal contemplation: how do we choose when our ideals clash with reality? The protagonist, Charles Strickland, turns himself into an extreme idealist. Charles, in his middle age, has a respectable job, a loving wife, and two beautiful and well-behaved children. From an outsider's perspective, he is undoubtedly happy. However, beneath this conventional happiness lies a turmoil of restless emotions.
Unexpectedly, Charles abandons everything overnight and embarks on a solitary journey to Paris to pursue his dream of painting. He leaves behind a brief, ten-line letter, devoid of guilt or explanation. His wife is left in anguish, and the lives of him and his children plummet into unprecedented hardship. Meanwhile, Charles leads a difficult life in Paris, but he savors every moment. Once dignified, he now appears disheveled, yet his demeanor is remarkably at ease.
In the face of friends' questioning and criticism, and the plight faced by his wife and children, Charles remains indifferent. He simply repeats, "I must paint." It is as if a drowning person must struggle continuously to survive. However, almost no one sees potential in Charles's artistic talent, except for a painter named Dirk Stroeve, who praises him as a once-in-a-century genius and wholeheartedly supports and mentors him. Even during Charles's critical illness, Dirk Stroeve, against his own wife's objection, takes Charles into his home for recuperation. Unexpectedly, Dirk Stroeve's wife falls hopelessly in love with Charles during the process of caring for him and resolutely decides to leave with the destitute Charles. However, Charles later abandons her, and she tragically chooses suicide. Yet, Charles remains indifferent, believing it was all wishful thinking on their part.
Charles declares, "I don't need love. I have no time for sentimentality, but I cannot conquer my desires. I loathe him; he imprisons my spirituality. I hope one day to rid myself of all desires and fully immerse myself in creation." Afterwards, Charles continues to live in poverty, wandering aimlessly, creating art. Eventually, he arrives at a place called Tahiti and marries a local woman named Ata, settling in a paradise-like land, an indescribable heaven of myriad colors. This becomes Charles's final destination, where he spends the rest of his life.
In the end, Charles dies from leprosy. Before his death, he completes a magnificent mural in his house, pouring all his lifelong ideals into it. Such works can only be created by artists who delve deep into human nature and discover beautiful yet terrifying secrets, and by those who have witnessed divine visions beyond mortal comprehension. Even more astonishingly, Charles had gone blind a year before his death, perhaps seeing more than what the doctors saw. After Charles's death, his other house is appraised at an exorbitant amount. Finally, the world acknowledges his artistic genius.
His first wife hangs his paintings in their house, but Charles never needed anyone's validation. In the end, his wife, out of love for him and in accordance with his wishes, burns down the house that held his great work. For Charles, his life was already complete. He created a world, witnessed the beauty of that world, and then proudly and disdainfully destroyed it.
This book is filled with memorable quotes, as Maugham portrays the complexity of human nature to perfection. Each character possesses intricate or twisted traits. The protagonist, Charles, abandons his wife and children, betrays his friends, and callously mocks and harms others. He is someone who values money as dirt, fame as mere cloud, ignorant of compromise and tolerance. Yet, he is undeniably a genius, a puppet driven by ideals, a pilgrim pursuing a lifelong quest. As the book states, baseness and nobility, cruelty and compassion, hate and love can coexist within the same soul. As Bertrand Russell said, every great work has tedious chapters, and "The Moon and Sixpence" is no exception.
Charles's pursuit of his ideals contradicts societal values, therefore he is spurned. However, his artistic works align with conventional aesthetics, earning praise. As the saying goes, a thousand readers have a thousand Hamlets. Some see a gallant hero saying, "In the face of a just cause, even if there are thousands of troops, I will boldly advance," while others see "sixpence scattered on the ground," yet he looks up and sees the moon of his dreams. Some see the cost of pursuing ideals and feel awe, while others see contentment in ordinary happiness, going with the flow. So, my friends who have read this book, what did you see?
Lastly, I'd like to share a quote from "The Moon and Sixpence" to conclude: There is only one success in life: to live life on your own terms.
Информация по комментариям в разработке