Description

Next to only “Of humane bondage”, “The Moon and sixpence” is perhaps the best literary creation of Somerset Maugham .The author in his book ,”The razors edge” ,has agreed that he has taken the French artist Paul Gugin as the main character in his book “The Moon and sixpence” and has introduced other characters to build the plot in to a full fledged novel.After traveling Tahiti islands, he started writing the novel, by consolidating whatever informations available on the great painter Paul Gugin.
He has started the story with essay like narratives, which is of course the literary cherisma of Maugham ‘s novel writing.The main character Charles Strickland has been described as a stock broker who was leading a very normal family life in London.His strange midlife decision to become an artist was surprising as his strange character.He leaves his profession and his family and heads for Paris in quest of artistic excellence, though he did not have much knowledge of art behind him.He spends his days in dire poverty while persuing his rediculous and absurd life as an artist.
Finally he leaves for Tahiti , a dream destination in his mind’s eye .He settles amidst the bounty of deep forest and creates great arts from out of the abundant beauty of man , woman and nature .The world pays him the honour of a great artist, after his pitiable and painful death due to leprosy.