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Of Human Bondage
by W. Somerset Maugham
A journey about freedom, self-discovery and the ties that bind us.
What is the breadth of human bondage? How do we escape bondage from ourselves? How can one tie down the ropes of one’s own emotion and failing? Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham is a book about gripping power of obsession as the reader follows the main character’s desperate search for freedom.
The story follows Philip Carey, an orphan trying to escape the boundaries of his strict Christian upbringing in an English vicarage. He is placed in a boarding school, all the while embarrassed and teased because of his club foot. He then sets out for Europe to try and discover a place for himself. He dabbles in everything from books to painting. Still out of place, however, he returns to London where he meets Mildred, a self-centered, selfish waitress. He falls madly in love with Mildred even though it seems she could do without him. Carey becomes a slave to his desire and puts up with Mildred even through her many rejections of him and using of him. He does not realize that he is more of a prisoner than ever. Carey is not satisfied until he realizes that the only times when he is happy is when he stops searching for happiness.
Of Human Bondage is autobiographical in nature because of its many connections between Carey and Maugham. It is said to be Maugham’s masterpiece and is regarded for its realism and the depth in which it looks into the human soul. Overall, it is an enjoyable book with a slight tendency to get a little tedious at times. However, it is a powerful look at the bonds we tie ourselves to even when we are so desperately seeking to shove them off.
Title: Of Human Bondage
Author: W. Somerset Maugham
Publisher: Bantam Books
ISBN: 0-553-21392-X
Review written by: Marguerite Spellman
Reviewer's Rating:7.5
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
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