Moon and Sixpence

Author: Maugham
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: The British novelist Maugham is a master storyteller. His novels are witty and humorous, often revealing satire on social phenomena. The plot of The Moon and Sixpence is based on the life of the French Post-Impressionist painter Gauguin. The protagonist, Charles Strickland, is an artist who abandons his family to live on the island of Tahiti in the South Pacific with the indigenous people, gaining inspiration and creating many works of extremely high artistic quality. Maugham explores the contradictions and interactions between life and art in his novel, and seems to clearly express the idea that remarkable artistic achievements are sufficient justification for a genius artist to ruthlessly break free from the constraints imposed by society—especially women.