William Somerset Maugham

-1-

William Somerset Maugham is known as a " "The best storyteller", because of this, every time I pick up his works, I am always full of expectations, looking forward to another pleasure and hearty reading experience. In his novel "The Blade" published in 1944, Maugham appeared in the entire story with his true identity and real name, which added a novel element to the enjoyable reading process.

I have always insisted on reading paper books, and "Blade" is no exception. When I look at the unread parts of the paper slowly getting thinner as the story progresses, there is always a trace of unfinished tension and reluctance in my heart, as if I don’t want the story to end as soon as possible. However, when I really finished reading the last page, a feeling of emptiness and helplessness slowly rose from the bottom of my heart. My confused eyes seemed to see Maugham standing up and knocking off the pipe. Yan Hui put on a windbreaker, spread out his hands and grabbed the white top hat and said to you: This is the story, what you think is your own business...

This book shocked me far less than My pre-imagination was so strong that I even thought the word "shock" shouldn't be used at all. To be precise, when I close the book, all that is left in my heart is confusion, or a vague blank. If I have to express my attitude clearly, then I admit that I can only give a three-star rating.

Maugham looked at it dismissively but said seriously:

Uh... okay...

-2-

Ben The background of the book is set in 1919, shortly after the end of the First World War, and the protagonist of the book, Larry, is already a veteran of the First World War even though he has just turned 20 years old. He was under 18 years old. He joined the Air Force and became a pilot fighting in France.

For those who have not personally participated in the war, we cannot empathize with the cruelty of war and the fear and shock brought to soldiers by facing death at all times. During a mission, Larry witnessed his best comrade die trying to save him.

Troubled by these problems, Larry refused to enter college or find a job after returning to the United States after the war. Initially, these were understood by those around him, after all he had experienced so much on the battlefield. But one year after he was discharged from the army, Larry, who still enjoys a life of "idleness", is no longer accepted by mainstream values.

Larry is eager to find the value and meaning of life.

The first formal conversation between Maugham and Larry took place in a club attached to a library in Chicago. At that time, Larry was concentrating on reading "Principles of Psychology," the most important work in the history of psychology. 》. At that time, Larry obviously did not agree with Maugham's suggestion that he should receive a college education:

Of course, the confused Larry did not choose to fool around, but chose to go to Paris to sort himself out freely. ideas in order to find the direction for the future.

The chosen method is to read!

During the two years in Paris, Larry spent 8-10 hours reading every day and read almost all the important works of French literature. Reading the original text of "The Odyssey" made him excited, as if he could touch the stars in the sky if he stood on tiptoes and stretched out his hands; understanding Spinoza's works made him feel like he was taking a plane and landing in the universe. He was as happy as the lonely plateau with fresh air; and reading Descartes' works, through the freedom and elegance revealed between the lines, made Larry's spiritual life wonderful and fulfilling.

All this reading behavior is just because Larry wants to find the answer to the question in his heart: He wants to determine whether there is God? Want to figure out why evil exists? I also want to know whether the soul is immortal, or whether the death of the body is the end...

And all of this, in the eyes of mainstream values, this kind of reading behavior with no practical value is just evading responsibility and just pretending. effort to cover up actual laziness. Because being a man requires diligence, men should work. This is the purpose of life and a way to benefit society.

For a moment, I felt ashamed of my inability to realize my reading behavior...

-3-

Let’s go back to Take a look at the era and background of the novel and the character setting of Larry.

Hemingway said in his first novel "The Sun Also Rises": You are all a lost generation!

The reason why the lost generation is confused is that the traditional values ??of this generation are no longer suitable for the post-war world, but they cannot find new standards of life.

The young American Larry may be the "lost generation" in the eyes of the British writer Somerset Maugham.

Larry's family background is pretty good. His father is an assistant professor in the Latin Department at Yale University, and his mother is an old Quaker in Philadelphia (I don't know what it is). However, they all passed away prematurely, leaving Larry a modest inheritance. In other words, Larry has certain assets and can maintain a decent life even if he does not work.

This is completely the best choice for a spouse in the new era: a car, a house, and both parents are dead.

But can such a character setting represent the lost generation? Moreover, in this work, has Larry finally found the meaning of life?

I don’t think Maugham gave a satisfactory answer. As the introduction to this book says:

Every night, I like to lie in bed under the yellow light and think about life. I also always torture my little self to survive in the vast universe. What's the point? When I couldn't sleep because I was full of confusion and confusion about the value and meaning of life, I actually knew clearly that this was just obsessive-compulsive disorder.