Graduation — the end of an era and the beginning of new steps in life. How to navigate life after graduation may be the most significant conundrum for all students. Some follow their ideals, while others compromise with reality. As the year comes to an end while another is ready to begin, it is time to decide how to navigate the uncertain future. For those facing this challenge, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) would like to introduce a classic novel, The Moon and Sixpence, that may answer this timeless question.
The Gap between Ideal and Reality
-The Moon and Sixpence
William Somerset Maugham, the author of The Moon and Sixpence, is one of the most popular authors of the 20th century. However, Maugham did not begin as a professional writer. After majoring in Literature and Philosophy at university, he attended St. Thomas’s Hospital Medical School in London and graduated as a physician. However, Maugham took off his doctor’s gown due to his strong desire to write, publishing his first work, Liza of Lambeth, in 1897. The Moon and Sixpence, one of his most renowned works, was released in 1919 after the end of World War I. Ironically, this novel does not mention the moon or a sixpence. The meaning of the title can be inferred from a review written about the protagonist in one of Maugham’s other novels, Of Human Bondage. “Like so many young men, Philip was so busy yearning for the moon that he never saw the sixpence at his feet.” Maugham replied, “If you look on the ground for a sixpence, you do not look up, so you miss the moon,” suggesting that the moon implies a dream or ideal and the sixpence, secular reality. Immersed in Maugham’s calm writing style, the readers ponder whether the foremost value of life is the moon or the sixpence.
-Synopsis (*Spoiler Alert)
Strickland, a stockbroker living a normal life with his wife and two children in London, suddenly abandons everything and leaves for Paris. The narrator, close to Strickland’s wife, visits Paris to bring him home again. To their surprise, the only reason that Strickland had left for Paris was to paint. Due to his strong will to paint, the narrator fails to persuade him and eventually returns to London. Five years later, the narrator meets Strickland by chance, only to see that he is still living in misery …
Walking to the Moon
In The Moon and Sixpence, few protagonists pursue their ideal life, the moon, rather than settling with their reality. Strickland is a symbolic character who follows his moon — art. Chasing the dream of discovering the truth of beauty, he avoids his actual problems, including family, finances, and health. Maugham based Strickland’s life on the French post-impressionist painter Paul Gauguin, who also worked as a stockbroker and devoted himself to art in his middle age. Even though Strickland destroys all the realistic foundations of the world in which he lives, his intense desire to reach the truth of beauty touches the reader’s mind beyond the text. His reckless chase for the ideal makes readers wonder if they can abandon their monotone lives to reach for real dreams. Doctor Abraham is another character chasing the moon. Despite graduating from medical school with excellent grades and being called a genius, he decides to settle in the port city of Alexandria, Egypt, which he discovers during his travels. Abraham lives as a government official, leaving behind a guaranteed future with wealth and fame as a doctor. Many consider Abraham a person who ruined his promising future because of his bizarre personality. However, seeing him happily living the life he desires makes readers wonder whether it is truly ruined. Through these moon-chasers, Maugham reawakens the value of the moon that many forget in everyday life, questioning whether one’s reality is truly the life they desire.
Living for the Sixpence
Pursuing one’s aspirations would be the dream for many, but reality often gets in the way. In fact, most of the ordinary people in the novel live in reality, or the sixpence, leaving their desires behind. To them, people who mindlessly follow ideals are irresponsible, selfish, and escaping reality. For instance, Strickland’s wife and others around him strongly criticize Strickland for abandoning his family. Pursuing his lifelong dream may have been a brave challenge for Strickland; however, it is simply a selfish pursuit for the loved ones left behind. Strickland’s betrayal of his benefactor, Dirk Strove, is socially unacceptable. Since Strove was the first to recognize Strickland’s artistic value, provide economic support, and even save his life, committing an affair with Strove’s wife is enough to outrage the readers. As such, many may argue that Strickland is rationalizing his egotism under the name of art. Those who live in the sixpence possess a distinct view of life, contrasting with those who chase the moon. For instance, Alec Carmichael, Abraham's fellow, represents individuals who place the sixpence as the highest value of life. Although he loses numerous awards and scholarships to Abraham as a student, he becomes socially successful thanks to Abraham’s pursuit of the moon. Carmichael gains a grand residence, a beautiful wife, honor, and pities Abraham, who has given up the sixpence and is living in poverty. Most readers will easily resonate with the characters living in the sixpence as the majority are, in fact, living the reality ahead rather than the ideals.
The moon or the sixpence. There is no single answer to living a life. However, it is clear that one thing remains high in our hearts, the moon. Everyone has their own moon. Everyone has their own source of happiness. This may be the reason why this novel, written 100 years ago, continues to touch readers today. Many might look forward to chasing the moon, although they are currently staring at the sixpence on the ground. The unbridgeable gap between ideals and reality will torment us endlessly. At times like these, take a moment to lift your head and look up at the sky. The moon will always be there waiting, shining for you.