The Blade was published in 1944. Maugham was over seventy years old when he wrote this book, and this book is his masterpiece in his later years.
Maugham wrote in the first person, directly using his real name. Maugham also set himself as a main character in the book. He knew every main character in the book, got together with them, met and talked with them, traveled with them, expressed his own opinions, and let us enter Maugham's life. Circle of Friends, listen to Maugham telling the stories of his various friends. With Maugham’s deep experience, wide travels, wide contacts, and high literary accomplishment, he will definitely be able to tell the stories of his friends well and will not let us down. Time
There is nothing more moving than seeing young people falling in love
Somerset Maugham met his young American friends Larry and Isabel They were newly engaged at the time, Larry was nineteen and Isabel was eighteen. The First World War ended more than a year ago. During the war, Larry was a pilot who fought against the Germans in France and returned triumphantly. Larry is taciturn, tall and thin, approachable, amiable, and always has a detached air. Isabel is tall, a little fat, and in good health. She has pretty eyes and a plump mouth; her face is radiant, and her contentment comes from her heart. Everyone who sees her is filled with joy.
Nothing can affect their happiness. Both of them are in a comfortable situation, so it is natural for them to get married and live happily after marriage.
Isabel's mother Mrs. Boo and uncle Elliot have always liked Larry and thought he would make Isabel happy. Larry's family background and other things were satisfactory to Mrs. Boo and Elliot. But recently, one thing has made them absolutely dissatisfied with Larry, that is, Larry neither wants to go to college nor find a job. In Larry's own words, he just wants to "shake his arms."
At first, Larry didn’t want to find anything to do. They could understand it, because the war had just ended and the lingering fear of the war had not yet been eliminated. Larry suffered a lot, so he wanted to take some time off. Rest for a while until you are completely back to normal. Several business people like Larry. Larry will easily find a job, get employed, and make a lot of money, because the war has just ended, there is a lot of waste, and there are many opportunities. The United States is obviously in an era of strong development, and everyone I believe that the United States is the greatest and most powerful nation in the world. The country is making rapid progress and life in the United States is so thrilling. Larry has caught up with this great era and should be full of gratitude and diligence for the era. , work hard to make money, and then, at the age of 40, become financially free, live by collecting rent, and become a rich man. But Larry doesn't want to take what everyone thinks is the normal track, which is something Isabel's uncle Elliot and mother Mrs. Boo can't stand no matter what.
Maugham’s friend Eliot
Eliot was a man of firm convictions. His firm belief is that just like a bird is born to eat insects, be covered with feathers and down, and fly in the air, he is born to eat the most expensive delicacies from the mountains and seas cooked by famous chefs, and to wear the most comfortable and expensive clothes. He also believed that the more opportunities he had to interact and talk with the emperor's relatives, the better off he would be. Everything else Eliot regarded as insignificant and worthless compared with his basic creed. When talking about this, you will think, isn't this a snob? Of course he is a snob and sophisticated. He is not interested in anything about other people except their social status.
Eliot is nearly sixty years old, tall, well-groomed, and lives in the style expected of an upper class person. Very hospitable, of course only inviting people he finds useful. He likes to tell lies and is particularly interested in the privacy of princes. His heart will beat hot when he hears about the private affairs of princes and noble ladies. Always hanging out with the best people in Europe.
Maugham did not disparage the people in his circle of friends. He believed that Eliot's biggest snob shortcoming was superficial. He was very generous and kind to his kind. , Maugham believed that Eliot was the most snobbish among his friends, and a snobbish person could also be kind, considerate, and generous.
But when Maugham stared at Eliot's body, he felt that Eliot's life was stupid, useless and boring. Eliot participated in so many The banquet, which had been attended by all those princes, dukes, and counts, was meaningless now, they had forgotten him.
Isabel’s mother, Mrs. Boo
Maugham told us that his friend Mrs. Boo also had her own lofty principles and Sophisticated, her world view is similar to that of her brother Elliot, and similar to that of most of us. From Mrs. Boo's perspective, in an era of rapid economic development, you must desperately seize opportunities and work hard to make money. If you want to survive in this world Well, you have to accept the rules of this world, don't do unreliable things, and pursue some illusory spiritual world. It's completely crazy. A person's responsibility is to find a good job in a company and make a fortune. Money, support your family according to the living standards consistent with your status, let your children receive the best education, and let your wife have enough food and clothing.
Although Elliot, Mrs. Boo, and Isabel all like Larry very much and admit that Larry is a man of noble character. His noble performance was during the First World War. Larry lied about his age, joined the Air Force, fought in France, served his country, and defended his people. It cannot be said that only working and being willing to make money is a sense of patriotism and responsibility. The Isabel family admits that Larry is a good boy. It is definitely a feat for him to sneak out to join the Air Force. However, they do not accept it at all if he does not go out to find a job in a peaceful environment.
The only thing that troubles me is that I make you so troubled
Larry and Isabel still refused to go out and look for each other even after they got engaged. Work, which made Isabel very distressed. She used to think that the engagement would awaken Larry's responsibility for the family, because she firmly believed that Larry was a good man worthy of being entrusted to him. However, Larry seemed to have changed. Before the war, Isabel thought he was very normal. A great love of life, a warm soul, gentle and gentle, Isabel was happy to be with him, he was very lovely. The war changed Larry, and when he came back he was not the same person he was when he left. He seemed to be looking for something. Some of the encounters during the war made him unable to calm down. He often went to the library to read, trying to find what he was looking for in the book, reading from morning to night every day. Isabel couldn't stand Larry's idleness. In a society with a highly developed economy, not making money made Isabel uneasy. Her unrest was simply because she was afraid of having less money and a lack of security. Even though she has never experienced the lack of money, the indoctrination she received since childhood made her instinctively feel the importance of money, which means power and social status. It is natural for people to make money, and her husband should obviously put making money first.
The two of them often quarreled about this, and Larry often said to himself: "How dead the dead look when they die." What is Larry pursuing? Isabel didn't feel it at all and asked him if he was distressed. He replied, "No, the only thing that distresses me is that I make you distressed like this."
Finally, the two of them reached an agreement. Larry went to Paris for two years to find the path he wanted to take. If he couldn't find it, he returned to the United States. A completely practical outlook on life. Come up. Isabel would not go to Paris with him to find something he could not explain, nor would she marry, not to an idler.
Larry went to Paris alone. In Paris, Larry didn't know anyone, and no one would care about him or interfere with him. Larry didn't know why, but he had an idea that in Paris, the hazy thoughts in his mind would become clearer.
People also have a fate with a certain city. You don't know why but you just like that place. It makes you happy. There is a kind of happiness in the sky that makes people relaxed and happy without any evil thoughts, restores youthful vitality and clears the mind.
It happens that I am not interested in money
Larry lived in Paris for two years. He rented an old, shabby house, but that house Close to the National Library and the University of Paris. In two years, Larry read a lot of books, eight to ten hours a day. He read almost all the important works of French literature. When he had time, he also found a teacher to learn Greek.
In the past two years, Elliot found Larry and tried to use his connections to find Larry a decent job, but he was rejected. From Elliot's point of view, Larry will never be successful, and his money and status will never be mentioned.
Eliot believes that a marriage that takes into account status, property, and the situation of both parties is ten times better than a love union.
Two years later, Isabel found him and asked him if he had found his ideal. Larry told him no. Isabel persuaded him to fulfill his promise and return to the United States to get married, but only if he found a job. Larry is willing to marry Isabel, but has no plans to return to the United States, let alone work. He is eager to travel, and he feels that a vast spiritual realm is opening up in front of him.
Isabel was very angry. She felt that a person always had to work. This was a problem of being a human being. The United States is a young country and is starting a new era. There is no end to progress. , will become the richest country in the world in the future. If young people miss this opportunity, what is the use of studying in France, which is lifeless? Isabel thinks that Larry is evading responsibility and shrinking from moving forward
Larry admits that Isabel is right. The country is in a grand era, and everyone will become richer and richer. But Larry said it happened that he wasn't interested in money.
Larry wanted to learn and find the meaning of life just as passionately as Isabel wanted to make a lot of money. Larry couldn't understand how he could spend several years educating himself, only to evade responsibilities, shrink from moving forward, and not contribute to the country?
Isabel thinks about things based on whether they are useful in real life. To put it simply, it depends on whether the things you are busy with can be realized immediately. Isabel believes that if knowledge cannot be used, what is the use of knowledge? What's the result? Everyone is racing against time to make money and improve their quality of life. Only money can bring happiness to people. Isabel felt that she was young and wanted to have fun, attend parties, wear nice clothes, live in a big house, and drive a nice car. Her spirit was a boring thing that would not make her promising.
Isabel is always thinking hard, hoping to become more graceful and luxurious one day. She is especially envious of well-dressed people, with beads around their necks, diamond bracelets on their hands, and finger sleeves. Ladies wearing expensive rings hope to become such people soon.
This is the life Larry arranged for Isabel. Larry came back from the war with no money. He could receive three thousand dollars a year. They could get married and live in a small apartment. They would live happily. He believed that Isabel imagined that the life of people with low income was too bad, but in fact it was not the case. People he finds interesting generally don't have a lot of money and don't live in mansions. Larry thinks he can travel around the world with less money. He could travel and go on vacation with Isabel.
Larry believes that the life he proposes is far more fulfilling than any life Isabel could have imagined. He hoped that Isabel would like reading and spiritual life. Spiritual life is so exciting and rich. It has no end and it is an extremely happy life.
Larry believes that real life is not only about money and social status, but also includes human joy and happiness. The greatest satisfaction in life is achieved through the spiritual realm
Larry felt that when he read a good book, he was completely immersed in the book. He was as happy as if he was flying to the sky in an airplane, flying higher and higher, surrounded by the fresh air and pure Surrounded by the environment, immersed in the boundless space, all rights and honors in the world are at your feet.
Larry said he wanted to find out whether there was a God or not. Why is the world malicious? Is the soul immortal, or is everything doomed after death? Larry believes that reading and thinking about life events may or may not be useful, but it is very interesting. He is very satisfied with knowledge alone.
Isabel was not interested in Larry's conversation at all, nor did she want to be interested. She even gasped, thinking how childish it was. This is what a sophomore in college should consider. Things, in the eyes of Isabel and her family, Larry is now crazy and has become completely unreasonable.
Somerset Maugham named his book "The Blade". I think Isabel is on one side of the knife and Larry is on the other side of the knife. If they want to combine, they need to cross the edge of the knife. Sharp, Isabel doesn't know how to cross, Larry knows but can't give up the life he thinks is right.
Larry is usually taciturn because his thoughts are different from everyone else's. People don't understand him, but Maugham understands him.
Maugham felt that this child's soul was vaguely pursuing something, and this pursuit made him unable to find peace. You know where to look, and you don’t listen to anyone’s advice. You have to search for yourself until you find peace of mind
Seeking the Way
Larry After breaking off his engagement with Isabelle and leaving Paris, he did not find the answers he was looking for in the book. He planned to try some manual labor, which he felt might be good for him and would give him time to clear his thoughts and calm down. He went to work as a miner in a coal mine, then worked on a farm, and then became a sailor who could travel around the world, including China, Myanmar, and India----
Larry spent ten years He spent time studying, working, and traveling, but he still hadn't found anything that made him feel peaceful. He didn't know what it was? Maugham knew that when people are looking for the meaning of life, there is only a thin layer of paper between substance and belief. This is a child with spiritual needs, and they are very strong
What made his soul awaken? When people encounter major events, their personalities often undergo major changes. Some become better and move closer to Jesus, while others become worse, like another friend of Somerset Maugham, Sophia, who ruins herself without a bottom line.
What made Larry change was a good friend of his during World War I. He was as young as Larry, very energetic, lively, and had never understood what fear was. pilot. He always strengthened Larry's confidence and was very sincere. Later, he died in a battle to protect Larry. Larry had known about thousands of people dying before, but had not seen them die, so it had no effect on him. When he saw his friend die with his own eyes, he suddenly felt that his body and the glory and wealth it pursued were meaningless. The dead person looked so dead, as if he had never lived. His spiritual realm was opened, and he wanted to pursue and be busy in the spiritual realm until he was at peace
I searched for him thousands of times in my dream, but when I suddenly looked back, that person was in a dimly lit place
In this sentence, "that person" does not necessarily have to be a person, it can also be something, such as God or religion. Larry searched for God by reading in the library, searching for God in coal mines, on farms in Germany, and searching for God on ships traveling around the world. He read the Bible, held meetings, and prayed. Finally, he found that the priest had a clear understanding of the problems that confused him. There was no way to fix it for him, intellectually or emotionally.
Larry did not find peace in God, and Maugham considered him to be a Godless person with profound religious concepts.
Finally Larry went to India. He lived in India for five years. He found peace and beautiful and valuable things in Hinduism. Hinduism is very good. The answer to Larry's puzzle about the meaning of life. He spent a lot of time to find the truth he had been longing for. It was like the phone lines in his heart were all connected, and the knots in his heart were opened one by one. Life is like a puzzle. Each part must be placed in the appropriate position to make life comfortable. Some people just refuse to go with the flow.
Maugham chatted for a long time about Larry's life in India. I don't remember much, but I saw that Larry found a religion that suited him. , found a peaceful road, I am very happy for him
Plainness is the truth
I can see Maugham He is very fond of his friend Larry and is happy to see Larry. But Maugham said that he was a layman, a man of the world; he could only express admiration for people like Larry, but could not follow in his footsteps.
Larry has no ambition and hates being famous. Living a life of his own choice with peace of mind, Larry later returned to the United States and became a taxi driver, living alone and seeking nothing else. No matter what he did, he was always on the road to self-improvement.
In Blade, Maugham also chats well with other friends, but I always get distracted when they talk about these characters.
The edge of a sword is difficult to cross, so the wise say that the way to salvation is difficult. It was so difficult for Larry to get over it, and he also lost a lot of worldly happiness.