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Family, love, and friendships are a few of the many colorful threads that are
taken and woven into a tapestry of life. Every person one meets on the way will
influence the patterns of that tapestry. Every incident, be it tragic or
cheerful, will guide the shuttle to take on new directions. With this in mind,
William Somerset Maugham’s autobiographical novel Of Human Bondage offers the
reader a first person perspective on the first thirty years of a young man’s
life. Philip Carey was born with a clubbed-foot. Many critics believe that this
birth defect paralleled Maugham’s own trouble with stammering. This handicap
acted as a basis for all the anxiety and self-consciousness that shadowed
Philip’s life. As readers, we shadowed Philip as well, following him from
childhood in England, to adulthood in Germany, adventures in Paris, and back to
a village on the British coast. Together with Philip, we were drawn into a world
of cynicism, passion, hatred, and the yearning to become someone greater. In the
beginning, innocence reigned. As a little boy who was just orphaned, Philip took
everything in, not comprehending his situation. There was simplicity in his
thoughts and naivete in his actions. He soon developed self-consciousness about
his clubbed-foot, however, when he was sent to an all boys’ school. He was
endlessly humiliated by his fellow classmates and was treated differently by the
teachers. When he did something wrong, the teacher would not cane Philip like he
would any other wrong doer because Philip was a cripple. Having suffered years
of shame and loneliness, Philip was truly grateful to finally make a friend.
Rose was very popular with the boys. He was outgoing and whimsical, and Philip
was honored to have Rose treat him as a normal person. There comes a time,
unfortunately, in many friendships when one of the people involved becomes
possessive. Philip became jealous of Rose’s other friends, and in childish
revenge, Philip made friends with Sharp, a boy whom he despised.
It was Sharp who gave Philip the idea to go to Germany to study and experience the world.
Philip wanted to get out of England so much that he began to slack off, and
eventually, he threw away his scholarship to Oxford. In his teenage defiance, he
learned independence. Out in the world, he met people who left lasting
impressions in his personality. Being sensitive and inexperienced, Philip
believed whatever the next person who came into his life believed. His uncle had
taught him Christianity as a child, and Philip had faith in it. Hayward taught
him that there was more to religion and that civilized people were poets and
lovers, and Philip believed him. Cornshaw then gave him the idea that
Christianity was just morality and those poets were dreamers, and Philip hated
his uncle for instilling a rigid religion and believed that Hayward was living
unrealistically. One of his biggest fears about disbelieving in God was that
maybe he was wrong and that he was sinning by becoming an atheist. Then, in a
rare burst of young wisdom, he decided that “after all, it’s not my fault. I
can’t force myself to believe. If there is a God after all and he punishes me
because I honestly don’t believe in Him I can’t help it (104).” According to A.
C. Ward, Maugham’s “effectiveness as a critic of life is in inverse proportion
to his solemnity.” We might be shocked by some of the strong feelings that
Philip felt, but Maugham knew this. He wanted Philip to be honest with himself
and in doing so, he wanted to remind readers of the flaws in mankind.
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