Of Human Bondage

Of Human Bondage is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It is generally agreed to be his masterpiece. The book begins with the death of the mother of the nine-year-old protagonist, Philip Carey. Philip's father had already died a few months before, and the orphan Philip is sent to live with his aunt and [...]
Visa längre beskrivning

Of Human Bondage is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It is generally agreed to be his masterpiece. The book begins with the death of the mother of the nine-year-old protagonist, Philip Carey. Philip's father had already died a few months before, and the orphan Philip is sent to live with his aunt and uncle. Philip inherits a small fortune but the money is held in custody by his uncle until he is twenty-one, giving his uncle a great deal of power over him until he reaches his maturity. He soon eventually meets a young woman. They have an affair, and when she thinks she is pregnant, Philip decides to give up his long-cherished plans to travel to exotic lands, and to marry Sally instead. Despite learning that it was a false alarm, Philip nonetheless becomes engaged to Sally, his lifelong quest for happiness and self-acceptance culminating in the conclusion that "e;the simplest pattern, that in which a man was born, worked, married, had children, and died, was likewise the most perfect"e;.