Analyses of Characters in The Razor’s Edge
Albert Chung
Somerset Maugham depicts a group of his acquaintances in detail in his novel,The Razor’s Edge. Each of the characters in the story has a unique life style. Among them, Maugham’s intimate friends, Elliot, Isabel, and Larry, display lives that are prominent throughout the story and that are very different from each other. In spite of the differences in their lives, the ultimate goals of their lives are the same: happiness. The theme of the story lies in the differences in the ways of achieving the kind of happiness which Elliot, Isabel, and Larry pursued.
The story starts in Chicago with Maugham, the author, at a party of his noble friend, Elliot Templeton. Elliot is a very snobbish person who is so passionate about hobnobbing the noble society that he spends his whole life serving high-class people. Isabel is the daughter of Mrs. Bradley and is a youthful girl who likes gossiping, values wealth, and has many relationships with elegant people, just like most people at that time. Larry is Isabel’s fiancé who has mysterious thoughts that seem profound but unfathomable to outsiders. For example, after fighting in World War I, all he wants to do is loafing whereas all the men in the society are supposed to work in a blooming American economy. This mysterious aspect of Larry attracts Maugham. However, this aspect leads to the breakup between Larry and Isabel, and Isabel ends up marrying a rich stock broker, Gray Maturin. As Elliot grows older, he notices that the noble community does not want him in parties anymore despite his tears and sweat for holding parties for them. Thus, he moves to Riviera and entertains royal families from all over the world. Larry, on the other hand, carries on with his pilgrimage of truth in India for many years. Several years later, the US’s stock market breaks, and Isabel’s family falls into destitution as a result. Being so kind and generous, Elliot offers them an apartment to live in. Isabel is emotionally deserted and hopeless right after the crash, for she was poor, but with Elliot’s help, she becomes self-sufficient and lively again. Years have passed, and Larry comes back from his quest of truth and the meaning of life in India and tells Maugham about his reception of the illumination. Larry says he went up on a mountain and watched the sunrise, and that is when he received the spiritual perfection where all his perplexities were explained and mysteries unraveled. Nevertheless, Larry decides to live and experience the life of the ordinary man, so he decides to share his spiritual realization with other people in the United States by becoming a taxi driver. On the other hand, Elliot is suffering from serious sickness and is very depressed from not being invited to an important party. Conspiring with the party host’s secretary, Maugham sends a fake invitation card to Elliot, and fortunately, Elliot dies happily. Isabel’s husband, Gray, manages to earn a lot of money once again, and Isabel’s life becomes a happy one, too.
For Elliot, the happiness of high-class people in his parties is the ultimate happiness of his life. Being an “arch-snob,” his main goal is to be an amiable party holder for ennobled people. Thus, his life is based on making new relationships, being the greatest entertainer at a party, and making social advancement. “He would put up with any affront, he would ignore any rebuff, he would swallow any rudeness to get asked to a party he wanted to go to or to make a connection with some crusty old dowager of great name”(Maugham 8). His infinite passion for social activities is well depicted in Part Five when Elliot is on his death bed, still desiring to go to Edna’s grand party. Also, he is so vain that even on his death bed he is concerned about the kind of people he will keep company in heaven. His life was occupied with going from place to place to keep track of all the important parties, so he was given the title ‘social butterfly,’ by his friend Maugham.
In contrast, Isabel’s happiness is based on materialism, Owning the best things and having enough wealth being the purpose of her life, her goal is to marry a wealthy man to maintain her standard of life. This is the main reason why Isabel refused to marry Larry, whom she felt so passionate for because she knew he could not satisfy her needs by loafing. Instead, she marries Gray, who could ensure her wealth and social status. She thinks “One can’t live without money”(Maugham 46). Due to her materialistic attitude, she is also very possessive, as shown in how Isabel still wants Larry to love her after many years of marriage with Gray. She behaves as if Larry is her property, tempting Larry’s fiancée, Sophie, into alcohols so that Larry would not be able to marry her.
Unlike the other two characters, Larry is in search of spiritual happiness. His goal does not involve high society or wealth, but self realization. After coming back from the war, he felt he was “walking in someone else’s shoes,” for his close friend had sacrificed his life to rescue him. Shaken by this experience, he decides to make the most of his remaining life by discovering what life is really about. He displays his adventurous and determined attitude through his long pilgrimage in India. His fondness for adventures leads him to a Yogi who helps him to achieve spiritual happiness, and his strong determination enables him to receive the illumination, the perfect knowledge. His attitudes affect his lifestyle; he no longer needs wealth but only enough necessities in his life because his life is directed to the spiritual quality. For example, he thinks not extravagance but only love is totally necessary for living together with Isabel. Also, with the magnificent spiritual realization, he does not plan on making money by preaching a massive crowd of people, but plans on becoming a taxi driver, making “small ripples” in the society.
Even though with different goals, attitudes, and life styles, Elliot, Isabel, and Larry attain happiness at the end of the novel by being recognized by a respectable people, having enough money to live rich life, and receiving illumination, respectively. Although they are all happy, Larry’s spiritual happiness is the most valuable among them since it is everlasting and can be shared infinitely in societies, touching people’s hearts. Indeed, “The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard”(Katha-Upanishad).
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