The Journey of Self-Discovery in a Cruel World

The plot of this book is one man’s struggle to find himself in a cruel world. He faces many obstacles including being orphaned, handicapped, unsure religion and a hopeless romantic. Toward the beginning of the book he may come off to some as an unlikeable self pitying snob but by the end of the book you are hoping for the best for him and proud of him for pulling threw. He ends up making genuine friends and finding true love.

Because of the wide range of the book there is no specific thesis, but instead the main idea of the story is to show and explain how times were during American slavery and the findings of historians and economists.

The title of the story has everything to do with the enslavement of human spirit because of the social physical and mental conflicts. The message is inanity and absurdity of life and Phillip’s major growth as a person. Maugham wrote this book because it was something he could relate to because of similar things in his life.

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His story, Of Human Bondage, can teach you that if you work hard you can succeed no matter the circumstances. Vice versa if you just rest in yourself pity that is all you ever will do and never will prevail. Most of this book is autobiographical with a change in scene.

The time frame of this book is 1885 to around 1905. Maugham’s of Human Bondage is about a boy name Phillip Carey who was a clubfoot orphan.

After his mom dies when he was 9 and his father’s death six months earlier, he goes to live with his aunt and uncle. They are non parents and inconsiderate to his feelings and pay him little attention. His aunt tried to take over the place of his mother but his uncle was the exact opposite. He goes against his uncle’s way of religion but is kind of confused on what he does and does not believe in. He also becomes very fond of reading novels.

This book takes place in England, Germany and France. Philip is sent to boarding school to become a clergymen but he hates his school because it is hard to fit in due to his shyness and handicap. He does make one really good friend, a boy named Rose, but due to his insecurities the relationship is ended. At the age of 18 he left England to explore his career options in Germany. He wanted to study arts and accountancy but after failed attempts he returned to England. He decided to study his father’s profession Medicine. He falls madly in love with a woman, Mildred, but she does not return the same love for him.

She is a conniving slutty waitress and put him through hell. She later becomes a prostitute but he can’t help but love her anyway. Everyone talks about her constant infidelity and finally he is ready to move on from her. Not long after she dies from a venereal disease. For awhile Philip works as a shop walker until his uncle dies and he inherits enough money to continue his medical education. Once he graduated from medical school he planned to go abroad with his doctor plans but with a twist of fate he falls in love with his best friend’s daughter: Sally.

The ending consists of him soon to be married. It is kind of argumentative as to whether you think the ending is happy or not. The book is said to be capable of serving as a textbook for a course of Atlantic Slavery. Throughout the book he cites numerous sources and offers informational asides. It never slips into an unfashionable mode. He considers slavery chronological, geographical, and thematic starting points. His type of writing style is very simple for this story. People say because of his simple writing it is possible that is why he doesn’t get as much fame for his books as he should.

Of Human Bondage is told mostly in third person and has an equal amount of dialogue and narrative speaking. The intended audience is for adults or young adults. The strengths of the book are his courage to revisit and explain the hardships of that time. It also ties together a number of historical, philosophical, and sociological issues. The book includes background information on Western slavery in general. Another strength is how easily the book flowed pulling you deeper and deeper into the story with detailed descriptions making you feel as if you were there.

It does such a great job with the writing he brings Philip Carey alive and makes him easily to relate to a lot of readers. All together it is generally very readable and informative. A weakness of the book is it is tiresome to read about someone pathetically making wrong choice after another. To some it can be hard to keep interested. There are certain parts where the narrator wanders at times and comes off a little disorganized. What is persuasive about the book is making you realize and understand that all people have problems and hardships but that does not mean you can’t pull through and live happily.