#66…Of Human Bondage

All good things must come to an end.

I finished W. Somerset Maugham’s wonderful novel, Of Human Bondage, last night. Closing the book after a month-long love affair with it, I felt satisfaction at the book’s perfect ending, and at the same time, a profound sense of loss, like an empty nester whose kids have all left for college, or the house after the holidays are over. It was a profound sense of “what do I do now?” and, “why did it have to end?”

We are introduced to Philip Carey as a small boy, snuggling with his dying mother. Orphaned days later and crippled with a club-foot, he is sent to live with his cold and proper uncle the Vicar of Blackstable and his loving aunt. Philip is sent to school, where he is of course mocked for his deformity. On a whim, he leaves school to travel Europe, against the wishes of his uncle. After travels in Germany and art school in Paris, left with very little money, he decides to go to medical school in London, like his father. Upon moving to London, he has the misfortune to meet Mildred, a slatternly, rude, cold as ice waitress, and becomes obsessed with her, although she treats him like crap and uses him for his money. Through Mildred, Philip gets in touch with his stalker-esque and doormat-esque sides, throws years of his life and money away, and even ends up having to retake exams in med school because of his obsession with her. Finally, when she runs off with one of Philip’s friends, it looks like he may be on the road to recovery. He begins to like medical school and relies on his friends to keep him sane. Mildred of course turns up broke and ho-ing herself on the street corner months later. Now that he’s officially over her, but is still a chump, Philip kindly decides she and her baby can live with him, but only as a quasi-servant. Ironically, now that his obsession with her is over, it is only then that Mildred determines to have him. When Philip again reiterates that their relationship must be platonic, she trashes his house and disappears yet again.

In the meantime, Philip, glad to be rid of her, meets up with Athelny, an extravagant, over-the-top guy who adopts Philip as part of his family. When Philip bets the small remainder of his fortune on a bad stock tip, is cut off by his uncle, and is homeless as a result, Athelny and his family take him in, and Athelny gets him a job in a department store, which although humiliating to Philip, is money in hand. When Philip’s selfish uncle finally kicks it and dies, Philip is able to return to med school and get his degree. He meets up with a crotchety old private practice doctor, who takes a liking to Philip and offers him part of his practice. Philip refuses, because it has always been his dream to travel and see Spain. This dream gets sidetracked when he falls in love with Athelny’s daughter Sally. A false pregnancy alarm causes Philip to ponder putting his dreams aside to marry Sally, but when he discovers she isn’t pregnant, decides to ask her anyway, and she accepts.

There was absolutely everything to love about this book. Philip Carey is about as human a character as I’ve ever found in contemporary literature. His struggles are real and heartfelt. You have to root for Philip, because he begins life as an underdog, motherless and deformed and derided by his peers. Anyone who’s ever wasted away over someone unreliable, unloving and unhealthy knows how Philip felt when Mildred led him on and took advantage of him. Even at the end, when the obsession has passed, he still feels a twang when he sees her, and wonders if he will ever be free of her.

The parts of the book that spoke to me the most were when Philip became homeless. None of us really know what we would do or where we would go if we had absolutely nothing. He wanders around the park, listening to the bells chime the hours, wondering what he will do for the entire day, what he will eat and where he will sleep. I was unemployed for nine months, and I felt keenly Philip’s despair at lurching between job interviews and being rejected. Philip’s friendships were also painted very realistically, and as real friendships do, ebbed and flowed and evolved with changes in his characters’ lives. After Philip’s stock loss, he drifts away from his stockbroker friend (obviously) and also another friend from art school, when he is too humiliated to face him and explain his situation. I thought sure he would do the same to the Athelnys, but was glad they tracked him down and made him fess up.

Maugham’s characters were fully realized and likeable, excepting psycho Mildred and maybe his Vicar uncle, who was a selfish tightwad. It was felt that this book was somewhat autobiographical, as Maugham’s struggles with stuttering were much like Philip’s with his club foot. Maugham also lost both parents in his early childhood and spent his childhood with a cold Vicar uncle. Like Philip, Maugham dropped out of school, traveled to Germany, worked in an accounting office and disliked the work, and spent five years in medical school. Unlike Philip, Maugham had affairs with men and was able to travel to Spain as Philip had so desired to do, although he did end up marrying a woman and having a child.

Happy endings have definitely been at a premium on the Modern Library list. Some have even argued that this book did not have a happy ending. Those who don’t think so clearly weren’t paying attention. It was as perfect an ending as I could ask for. This book is my favorite on the ML list so far. If you haven’t read it, get yourself to the bookstore now, or  add it to your Xmas list. At a hefty 712 pages, this qualifies as book #5 towards the Chunkster Challenge. Only one more to go!

Grade: A+++++