Volume 02 Issue 09-2022
5
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN
–
2771-2834)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
09
Pages:
05-09
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.914
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
ABSTRACT
This article is devoted to the literary trends in the 20th century in English literature and literary work of great author
William Somerset Maugham. It intends to show the power of art comparing human needs or convenient, particularly,
the author portrays the artist’s devotion to art, his sacrifice and signify the value of beauty through the work of
Somerset Maugham “The Moon and Sixpence”.
KEYWORDS
English literature, 20th century literature, author, art, money, moon and six pence.
INTRODUCTION
The name of Somerset Maugham is connected with
critical realism in the English literature. He was a very
talented person and possessed a keen and observant
eye in his best works he mocked foolishness,
philistinism, hypocrisy, narrow-mindedness, self-
interest, selfishness, utilitarian approach to art. His
Research Article
THE LIFE OF THE ARTIST IN SOMERSET MAUGHAM’S “THE MOON AND
SIXPENCE”
Submission Date:
September 10, 2022,
Accepted Date:
September 19, 2022,
Published Date:
September 29, 2022
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ijll/Volume02Issue09-02
Pirmatova Aziza Vokhid qizi
Teacher, Tourism faculty of Chirchik State Pedagogical University (Chirchik, Uzbekistan)
Journal
Website:
https://theusajournals.
com/index.php/ijll
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Volume 02 Issue 09-2022
6
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN
–
2771-2834)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
09
Pages:
05-09
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.914
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
relationship with art was not so solid for placing him
among the best English writers of this period. Because,
his work is marred by cynicism and disbelief in nature
of human being. Maugham considers that it is not in
the power of man to reform the world. In his works he
compares life to the theatre where human comedy as
old as the world itself, is being staged. As the course
of human life cannot be varied, he believes in the
wisdom of those who see the defects of the world but
learn to accept it as it is. Maugham was always proud
of his objective and composed view of life. He always
tries to observe life dispassionately and clinically with
great efforts for all his life, and describes and uses the
result of observations accurately in his novels. His
novels start mostly from a character.
However, his novels are naturalistic and miserable,
they are very interesting and smooth which are tied to
each other logically well. Maybe it is owing to the fact
that he writes the truth of human nature. John Brophy
writes about this in his “Somerset Maugham”, as
follows; "It is one of Maugham's distinctions that he
presents his stories as matters of fact, with the
minimum sacrifice of verisimilitude, and yet makes
them readable. He achieves this without relying on the
detective story's device of mystification. Indeed,
Maugham's stories often do without suspense, which
is commonly regarded as an essential element of any
good story. Nor does he rely upon topicality, as the
political reporter does, or upon argument as the
philosopher does, both of whom can create a kind of
indirect suspense because the conclusion of their
narrative may affect the reader's personal life. In a
Maugham's story the reader's self-interest is not
1
The article of “THE PROBLEM OF HUMAN AND ART IN THE
NOVEL “THE MOON AND SIXPENCE” BY W.S.MAUGHAM” by
Iroda Kaharova Sidikovna , Bukhara State University
involved: nothing is presupposed in the reader but a
potential interest in the diverse conventions and
oddities of human beings"
1
.
Methods. To understand Maugham’s achievement, it is
necessary to recognize there was more to him than
mere popularity. His latest biographer, Jeffrey Meyers,
rightly emphasizes the magnitude of Maugham’s
contribution
to
20
th
century
literature.
The
indefatigable Meyers – who’s written biographies of
Hemingway, D.H.Lawrence, Conrad, Frost, Poe, Scott
Fitzgerald, Katherine Mansfield, and Edmund Wilson,
among others – is no slouch when it comes to
investigating his subjects’ personal lives, and he has
some fresh things to say about Maugham’s early
romances, his troubled marriage, and his work as a spy.
Citing the declaration by critic and thriller writer Julian
Symons that “the modern spy story began with
Somerset Maugham’s “Ashenden” (1928),” Meyers
notes the influence of that somberly realistic novel of
espionage on writers a sunlike as Graham Greene, John
le Carré, and Ian Fleming.
Four of Maugham’s novels – “Of Human Bondage”,
“Cakes and Ale”, “The Moon and Sixpence”, and “”The
Razor’s Edge” – are classics of their kinds. Moreover,
he is considered as dramatist and short story writer. His
well-known stories are “Rain”, “The Unconquered”,
“Gigolo and Gigolette”, “The Man with Scar”, “The
Luncheon” and others. Maugham’s short stories are
usually very sincere, interesting, well-constructed and
logically developed.
We can comprehend how he was great according to
just an only fact that the number of his literary works
Volume 02 Issue 09-2022
7
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN
–
2771-2834)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
09
Pages:
05-09
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.914
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
that he had written are twenty four plays, nineteen
novels and a great deal of short stories, besides travel
works and an autobiography. The mature period of
Maugham’s literary career began in 1915, when he
published one of his famous novels, “Of Human
Bondage”. The author himself described this novel as
an “autobiographical novel”.
Discussion and results. According to Ralph Waldo
Emerson’s opinion
“Artists must be sacrified to their
art. Like bees, they must put their lives into the sting
they give ”.
And the work of “The Moon and Sixpence”
is the best example to prove his words. Because the
painter – Strickland devoted himself absolutely to art,
not paying any attention to the realities, in other words
his surroundings: neither his family, his wife, his son
nor his prestigious job – stockbroker. He was sure of
his pure dream –
become an artist
would come true
which he had kept in his heart for forty years, and
finally decided to try it. The story begins with poor and
miserable living conditions of Strickland at a hotel in
the Avenue de Clichy. This place was crowded with all
kinds of people, and it is a poor area of Paris, where you
could not expect what would happen suddenly. The
friend of his family cannot expect that Strickland is
from a successful stockbroker to a man with typical
image of an artist such as poor, untidy, dirty, never look
smart and neat.
As there are two sides of the coin we can look through
the main personage from different angles. For
instance, from one hand considering him as an ordinary
man:
Being null: He is a husband, a father and a broker;
Being honest: He always says exactly what’s in his
mind, what he considers true;
Being rude and in bad manner: brutal sarcasm,
cuss:
“Damn it all”
“You blasted fool”…
Not minding social criticisms: with empty soul, one
day just leaves, no more emotion:
“Everyone will think you are a perfect swine – Let
them”
“You don’t care if people … their bread? – Not a
damn”
Selfish: put personal concerns “painting” first
regardless of others;
Heartless, irresponsible with cold attitude:
abandons his family and no cares anymore about
his family although they are suddenly left. His
children are thrown into chaotic society without
any regret even though they are dependent on
them:
“Don’t you care for her anymore? – Not a bit”
“… law has some protection to offer them”
“… I haven’t got any particular feelings for
them”…
“I’ve supported her for seventeen years. Why
shouldn’t she support herself for a change?”
As above stated we can call him as selfish,
irresponsible, not caring his family. And for Strickland’s
family he is a bad father and husband. In the terms of
the normal concepts in the society, Strickland is
considered to be a selfish person who can abandon all
important things to pursue his own passion.
On the other hand, he is absolutely different person. As
an artist we can respect his sacrifice and devotion
toward art with great grades.
Being brave and passionate about art:
Volume 02 Issue 09-2022
8
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN
–
2771-2834)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
09
Pages:
05-09
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.914
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
Worth worshipping, leaves anything
behind to pursue art his career, his
friends, his fame even his family, not
care about the future;
accepts poor life;
ignores the worst things people can
think about him;
begins to paint at an old age
Understanding the rotten society:
at that period everything estimated
and everything has their own price but
for Strickland the beauty and art are
priceless and he never wanted to
involve money towards his paintings
and his art;
Strickland’s viewpoint: painting is true
passion, not for money
Being a real talent:
create the wonderful pictures, which
consists of great content and perfect
beauty what he considers to real pure
art
respecting pure art:
make his wife promise to burn down
his masterpiece in fear that it will be
spoilt by commercial world of money
I honestly believe that Strickland is worth to be great
and real artist who can scarify for real art in the
bourgeois society.
In this novel there are a lot of themes we can observe
and distinguish:
The revolt of an individual against the well-
established conventions of bourgeois society:
money worship society;
art was non-profitable. It can be proved
by the words of the main personage “I
rather wanted to be a painter when I was
a boy, but my father made me go into
business because he said there was no
money in art”;
Strickland goes against ideology ties to
follow art:
“I want to paint”
“I’ve got to paint”
family and social responsibilities:
according to bourgeois concept: men
must be responsible for his family
otherwise he will be despised among
people;
Strickland: nothing means to him
abandoning his family
“Everyone will think you a perfect
swine.”
“Let them.”
no room for trivial and ordinary pleasures of
life in great art:
immolate everything to be an artist;
protect
Beauty
and
Art
from money and
sexual relation
I’ll tell you what according to some research, the title
was taken from a review of Maugham’s novel “Of
Human Bondage” in which novel’s protagonist, Philip
Carley, is described as “so busy yearning for the moon
that he never saw the sixpence at his feet.” In addition,
according to a 1956 letter from Maugham, “If you look
on the ground in search of a sixpence, you don’t look
up, and so miss the moon.” Maugham’s title echoes
the description of Gauguin by his contemporary
biographer, Meier-Graefe (1908): “He [Gauguin] may
be charged with having always wanted something
Volume 02 Issue 09-2022
9
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN
–
2771-2834)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
09
Pages:
05-09
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.914
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
else.” The title served to Maugham as a symbol for two
opposing worlds — the material world quit by
Strickland, where everything is thought of in terms of
money, and the world of pure artistry craving for
beauty. As I was saying the author – Somerset
Maugham doesn’t use any word without reason. And
the title of this novel also has its meaning. The images
of “the moon” and “sixpence” are seen from two
points. The similarity of them – they are both in the
same shape. However,
the moon
symbolizes
art
and
beauty
but far away in the bourgeois society, while
sixpence
signifies
the real life
with all its worries,
calculation and fighting.
The whole novel goes with internal conflict between
art, his dream and his real life, his responsibilities, social
ties contemporary society.
CONCLUSION
English literature is passing through a period of
transition and any forecasts concerning its further
development would be arbitrary. One thing seems
certain, however – the best works of contemporary
prose and poetry are being put at the service of the
momentous issues of today and bear relevance to the
needs aspirations of humanity. Literature is the vision
of life. Its main aspect is human being, his acts, his
fights, his love, his hatred, happiness and grief. Human
being is considered to be the leading core in the
creation of literature, because the author creates the
overall content of the work through the human being.
While creating literary image, the writer shows his
individual aspects as well. It is not an easy task to get
to the heart of the readers through the books. One of
the great writers of the English Literature William
Somerset Maugham could combine both human
character and the art in his novel “The Moon and
Sixpence”. The novel could show us the devotion of a
man to art, his sacrifice and finally his grief. He ends up
his life getting blind and living a miserable life. William
Somerset Maugham can be considered as one of the
brightest representatives of the English Literature.
That’s why, in my opinion, it is important to read,
analyze and spread his novels to the people.
