About of human bondage

ABOUT OF HUMAN BONDAGE

W. Somerset Maugham’s masterwork is the coming-of-age story of Philip Carey, a sensitive young man consumed by an unrequited and self-destructive love.

Born with a clubfoot, Philip is orphaned as a child and raised by unsympathetic relatives. Sent to a boarding school where he has difficulty fitting in, he grows up with an intense longing for love, art, and experience. After failing to become an artist in Paris, he begins medical studies in London, where he meets Mildred, a cold-hearted waitress with whom he falls into a powerful, tortured, life-altering love affair. This is the most autobiographical of Maugham’s works, with Philip’s malformed foot standing in for Maugham’s stutter, and the character’s painful romantic struggles inspired by the author’s own intense love affairs with both men and women. A brilliant and deeply moving portrayal of the price of passion and the universal desire for connection, Of Human Bondage stands as one of the most accomplished novels in English literature.

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ABOUT OF HUMAN BONDAGE

W. Somerset Maugham’s masterwork is the coming-of-age story of Philip Carey, a sensitive young man consumed by an unrequited and self-destructive love.

Born with a clubfoot, Philip is orphaned as a child and raised by unsympathetic relatives. Sent to a boarding school where he has difficulty fitting in, he grows up with an intense longing for love, art, and experience. After failing to become an artist in Paris, he begins medical studies in London, where he meets Mildred, a cold-hearted waitress with whom he falls into a powerful, tortured, life-altering love affair. This is the most autobiographical of Maugham’s works, with Philip’s malformed foot standing in for Maugham’s stutter, and the character’s painful romantic struggles inspired by the author’s own intense love affairs with both men and women. A brilliant and deeply moving portrayal of the price of passion and the universal desire for connection, Of Human Bondage stands as one of the most accomplished novels in English literature.

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Fitting into the tradition of the Bildungsroman, or coming-of-age narrative, W. Somerset Maugham’s novel Of Human Bondage (1915) tells the story of a disabled man Philip Carey, as he struggles through life and falls into a destructive, tormented relationship with a waitress. The novel is believed to be mostly autobiographical in nature, something that Maugham has denied.

The book begins with the death of nine-year-old Philip’s mother, Helen, a few months after the passing of his father. Philip, who has a clubfoot, is sent to live with his aunt Louisa and uncle William Carey. While Louisa does her best to welcome him, William treats him coldly; Philip takes refuge in his new home’s vast collection of books. He is sent to a boarding school where the kids make fun of him because of his foot; he prays to God to cure him, not knowing what to do with the cruelty he is faced with.

William wants Philip to go to Oxford, for which he can get a scholarship, but Philip, set on going to Germany, convinces his aunt and uncle to allow this. He enjoys his time in Germany, living with a German professor and other foreigners who expand his views on religion and morality. When he returns, his aunt and uncle arrange for him to be an apprentice accountant in London.
Philip does not enjoy the work and feels lonely in the city. After a visit to Paris, he decides to move there and become an artist, despite his uncle’s objections. He is financially cut off for this decision but does make many new friends among Paris’ bohemian artistic society. Among these is Fanny Price, a girl that is generally disliked for being conceited. Philip does not have the heart to tell her that her art isn’t good, and she takes a liking to him. She falls in love with him, a feeling he does not return, and she commits suicide soon after she realizes he is thinking of leaving.

Fanny’s suicide shakes Philip, making him question his artistic ability. Returning to England for his aunt’s funeral, he chooses to stay and following in his father’s footsteps, study medicine. He struggles in his studies but enjoys them. He meets Mildred, a rude, dismissive, and unattractive waitress, and is immediately taken with her despite her flaws. They begin to see each other regularly. Mildred allows Philip to buy her things and occasionally to kiss her, but otherwise, does not show any real signs of affection.

She soon breaks his heart by announcing she is getting married to another man. Philip meets and starts a relationship with Norah Nesbit, a kind and smart girl that helps him heal but for whom he doesn’t feel the same all-consuming love he felt for Mildred. Around this time, he also makes a new friend, Harry Griffiths, a young doctor. A pregnant Mildred returns a few months later, explaining that the man she left Philip for never married her.