Of human bondage theme. Of Human Bondage Summary & Study Guide 2022-10-28
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"Of Human Bondage" is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham that was first published in 1915. The novel is considered a classic of modern literature and has been widely translated and adapted into film and stage productions.
One of the central themes of "Of Human Bondage" is the idea of personal freedom and the various forms of bondage that can prevent individuals from achieving it. The protagonist of the novel, Philip Carey, is a young man who is struggling to find his place in the world and to assert his independence.
Throughout the novel, Philip grapples with a number of different forms of bondage, including his own physical disability, his feelings of inadequacy and inferiority, and his unhealthy obsession with a woman named Mildred. These various forms of bondage represent the various obstacles and challenges that can prevent individuals from achieving personal freedom and fulfillment.
Another important theme of "Of Human Bondage" is the idea of self-discovery and the importance of finding one's own path in life. Philip undergoes a journey of self-discovery as he struggles to find his place in the world and to figure out what he wants from life. He learns that he must make his own decisions and take responsibility for his own actions, even when those decisions are difficult or unpopular.
Ultimately, "Of Human Bondage" is a powerful exploration of the human experience and the various challenges that we all face in our quest for personal freedom and fulfillment. It is a timeless tale that continues to resonate with readers today and offers valuable insights into the human condition.
Of Human Bondage: Theme Analysis
When World War I occurred, Maugham was too old to join the service but volunteered with the ambulance service in France as part of a group of other writers. Rebecca Raden Rebecca Raden holds both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in English. What is really significant in Of Human Bondage is that it touches almost all the complexities of human life: these are upbringing and education issues, place of religion and morality, difficulties in finding an occupation, and the obstacles which are faced when having some inability. They considered Trials of Oscar Wilde with Seven Arts. The Mixed Nature of Life As Philip matures, he sees life has both good and bad. It is here that he becomes disillusioned about the benefits of Christianity instilled in him by his uncle, who has hopes of him attending Oxford and joining the clergy.
From his aunt, Philip develops a love of literature that he will carry with him the rest of his life. Althelny supports Philip until the death of his uncle, leaving enough of an inheritance for him to finish medical school. Jacob clearly notices this oppressive, inhumane effect when he draws comparisons between his disgust with slavery and his observation of the look of surrender in the eyes of a beaten horse, clearly implying how the violence slaves face is torturous to the human spirit. Now he often thought of Norah, who loved him truly and he treated her so rudely. In Germany Philip got acquainted with Hayward and got under his influence.
A few months later, Philip meets and becomes romantically involved with a kind woman named Norah. Both Philip and Maugham are ridiculed in their formative years and into adulthood for having a handicap. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. During this period, Maugham is known to have proofread the manuscript for this classic novel while in Dunkirk. She, however, has become engaged to another man. Philip does not think of fighting for political freedom like this but personal freedom. Philip surrenders to passion once more by having impulsive sex with Sally, who then seems to become pregnant.
Mildred is confused by this and determined to make Philip love her. Although Maugham was never an artist, he was interested in painting. This work examines the manner in which humans struggle to control their emotions and corollary behavior. . This period was also when the writer met his long-time companion Gerald Haxton. Philip is once again shattered by the loss of her. One of the sections in Spinoza's Ethics is titled ''Of Human Bondage, or the Strength of the Emotions,'' which is quite close to the major theme of Maugham's classic novel.
Approached differently, the fictional Carey's life story could be labeled as the danger of giving in to passion. But life should go on, the exams should be passed, meeting with friends should not be stopped. Philip takes pity on her and provides her with a place for her to stay. The other is an ass in the skin of a lion. This section contains 1,383 words approx.
The Irish Times 5 Apr 1963: 1. His uncle refused him to help, and Philip had to leave the studies, move out of his rooms, and spend his nights on the street and simple go hungry. . Human bondage is conveyed in a variety of ways in the novel. GradeSaver, 28 August 2017 Web. There Philip learns that God and religion are not absolutes and begins to embrace a new philosophy on the morality of life. You can help us out by revising, improving and updating thissection.
He takes to the streets for a short time before Thorpe Athelny, a friend from the hospital, takes him in and sets him up with a job in a department store. The list of themes including bondage to passion, sensibility, and disillusionment, provides insight patterns and meanings derived from the text, including the inspiration of the book's title derived from Baruch Spinoza's work in Ethics. While sensible choices that favor security are initially unattractive to him because of their boring mundanity, Philip learns to appreciate security after experiencing the unromantic reality of passion's consequences. But Philip preferred his own way, and rejected religion for art studies, even though excelled academically, and later rejected it for accounting, and finally he found himself in medicine. This love affair was not destined to have a happy end, but a miserable one. Among them is a young woman named Fanny Price who believes herself to be a great artist.
As a child, Philip's uncle often points out this deformity and the difficulties it will cause Philip as an adult. Insulted Philip nevertheless still hoped she would come back to him. Philip Carey attends art school at one point, gets a job promotion as a result of his artistic ability, and plays out the final major scene at the National Gallery in London. The Irish Times 8 Feb 1963: 1. Cronshaw visited London trying to print his poems.
Maugham struggled with his relationship with his wife, who he met and courted while she was still married to someone else. English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920, Volume 14, Number 3, 1971, pp. Mildred tells Philip she will marry another man, leaving him heartbroken; Philip subsequently enters into an affair with Norah Nesbit, a kind and sensitive author of penny romance novels. This is most evident by the way he compares landscapes and female characters he encounters with famous paintings, like those by Jean-Antoine Watteau, Franz Hale, and Peter Paul Rubens. Ostensibly, just the urge to maintain self-respect would send a man running away from her onslaught of vicious personal attacks.
Human Bondage, Wealth, and Humanity Theme in A Mercy
She does not return his affection whatsoever, but finds that she can use his passion to her advantage. A lion who thinks his mane is all. As Spinoza cautioned, echoed by Somerset Maugham in fictional format, happiness rarely comes from following emotional desires over well-considered reasoning. As a doctor working in the slums, he decides life is neither tragedy nor comedy. In shame, and quickly running out of money, Philip leaves the house for good. He decided to get her back, but she was engaged.
