The Moon and Sixpence

Maugham's most remarkable work has been included in the first volume of the "Most Classic English Library": "The Shackles of Humanity". When he wrote this book, he was about to reach the age of 40. In the old Chinese saying, he had reached the "year of no confusion". After "The Chains of Humanity" was published, it was criticized by many literary critics. However, if it is real gold, it is not afraid of fire. The very influential American writer Mr. Dreiser (whose "Sister Carrie" has been included in the first volume of "The Most Classic English Library") insisted against all opinions that "The Chains of Humanity" is a good work, and even compared it with one of Beethoven's symphonies. Since then, this work has been continuously reprinted. In 1919, when Maugham was 45 years old, he published "The Moon and Sixpence". The plot of the novel is relatively simple: a middle-aged British brokerage suddenly decided to abandon his wife and children, follow the thoughts that had been accumulated in his heart for a long time, and determined to become an artist. The source of this story comes from the life story of the painter Gauguin. Such behavior is not recognized by secular society. Originally, as a securities dealer, I had a lot of money in my hands that I could squander to make a living, so why did I have to be an artist? Why did even survival become a problem in the end? As a result, the broker who wanted to be an artist was unable to find a place to live and became ill. He had no money to buy food to satisfy his hunger and was starving all day long. Perhaps ordinary people will never understand the world of artists. Not only was the artist not intimidated by this situation, but he survived even stronger. Moreover, regardless of the discomfort caused by physical illness and the harshness of the surrounding environment, he devoted himself to the creation of paintings. On a small island in the Pacific called Tahiti, he created a "masterpiece" that makes people feel breathless at just one glance. But at this time, he had passed away suddenly. So why is it called "The Moon and Sixpence"? In fact, in Maugham's own words, the meaning of the title was not properly displayed in the book, but came from a sentence written by a critic when reviewing "The Shackles of Humanity" mentioned above. The original words are as follows: The protagonist Philip Carey in "Human Bonds" is described as a guy who is so obsessed with looking for the moon that he never finds a sixpence under his feet. Maugham later explained: "If you keep looking for a sixpence coin on the ground without raising your head, then you will lose the moon."