Of Human Bondage.

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Of Human Bondage Essay

One of the reasons we study and appreciate literature is that great novels have very rich contents. Through the love, hate, anger, sorrow, humility of the protagonists, readers are allowed to access experiences normally very difficult to obtain. The lives of various characters tell about human desires and motives, thus examines the fundamental nature of men. In his novel Of Human Bondage, William Somerset Maugham brilliantly and realistically presented the early life of his protagonist, Philip Carey, to explore the true meaning of life and love.

Philip Carey was born in a typical British middle class family; his father was a doctor and mother was a housewife. Unfortunately, both of his parents died during his childhood, Philip was handed to and raised up in Blackstable by his pious uncle and ineffectual aunt, who has never had experiences with children before. As a result, at age of eighteen, Philip was eager to end his unhappy life at Blackstable and enter the real world. He spent several months to study German, tried to be an accountant, and learnt art in Paris, but failed all of them. Perplexed by the confusing reality, Philip gave