Of Human Bondage (School & Library Binding)

"Bondage" tells the long, long, long story of Carey from childhood through early middle age and the many relationships, despairs, epiphanies, longings, setbacks, sicknesses, friends, and beliefs he goes through along the way. And did I mention that this book is long?

Maugham's prinicpal concern seems to be the incongruous desires that can chain us to people or habits that we know are self-destructive but indulge in anyway. The book is epic in its scope, covering a vast number of storylines, but the central focus lies on the relationship between Philip and Mildred, a poor Cockney waitress with whom he strikes up a torrid relationship. Mildred has to be the most unpleasant character ever committed to fiction, and the book's greatest weakness lies in the utter inability of me to understand what in the world Mildred can offer that so obsesses Philip. Other reviewers have said that it's just plain old human lust, something that sometimes defies logic, but that's not good enough for me. Maugham doesn't inhabit Mildred with one positive quality---he doesn't even describe her as being attractive (she's the only principle love interest I've ever read about whose skin is described as being green!). I suppose part of Philip's infatuation could be explained away by his insecurity from being lame and the ever-present difficulty he has in interacting with others, but this still isn't enough justification for me. Mildred is horrid, and I groaned every time she appeared.

I think the book is at its best, ironically, when it's not focusing on the Mildred/Philip relationship. Philip's flirtations with art and medicine truly are fascinating (especially the accounts of working in a doctor's office), and Maugham manages moments of real truth in this novel that seem quite modern for the time in which it was written. There's a very practical side of Philip that I could relate to, and I thought it very genuine and believable when Philip realizes the limitations the artistic life (usually so romanticized as ideal) can place on someone.

I suspect that is the allure of this book and the reason for its popularity: it encompasses so many ideas and stages in psychological and emotional growth that almost everyone can find something to which he or she can relate. "Of Human Bondage" is an exhausting book, and I can't say I was sorry when it was over, but I did appreciate its candid honesty.