The Razor’s Edge
by
Jasmine Chung
The novel, The Razor’s Edge by William Somerset Maugham tells of a young man named Larry Darrell, who struggles to find the meaning of life. He lives an insecure life in an atmosphere where he his pressured by his fiancée Isabel and her family to settle down in a normal life. Larry and Isabel are struggling to maintain a well-adjusted relationship. They both seek happiness in different ways. Larry plans to ‘loaf’ in Paris and eventually travels around the world to understand the purpose of life and what it means to live blissfully. On the other hand, Isabel believes that money is the only way to reconcile with Larry. This is a good example of how the word ‘happiness’ can be defined in many ways. This story is about a group of people who are seeking happiness in different ways.
William S. Maugham’s ironic novel tells the story of Larry Darrell; an attractive American who spent two years of his life in World War I. Larry’s former fiancée is a beautiful Isabel Bradley who is struggling to maintain a balanced relationship with Larry. When Larry returns home from the war, he is still in shock by the death of his friend, who lost his life to save Larry that made him unwilling to talk. He wants to spend more time to settle his past to understand the meaning of life and to discover why evil exists. The goal of Larry and Isabel is simply to be happy; however they seek happiness in different ways. Larry’s method of being happy is to understand the purpose of life and to gain knowledge from real-life experience; therefore, he move to Paris for two years and eventually travels around the world. In contrast, Isabel had her own definition of life – it is to live in wealth pleasing those around her. In addition, Maugham introduces two other characters who also seek happiness in their lives. Elliott, Isabel’s uncle, is a wise man who manages a happy life by attending parties. Similarly, Sophie MacDonald, a victim of circumstances, lost her family in a fatal accident and overcomes her depression through debauchery drinking. This is an interesting novel that discusses how opposite people strive to obtain happiness in their lives.
Isabel Bradley is one of the main characters who is struggling to find happiness to satisfy her life. Throughout the story, Maugham describes the definition of happiness from each character’s point-of-view. Isabel stated,
“I’m young, I want to have fun. I want to do all things that people do. I want to go to parties, I want to go to dances, I want to play golf and ride horseback. I want to wear nice clothes. Can’t you imagine what it means to a girl not to be as well dressed as the rest of her crowd?” (71).
Isabel is a very sensitive character who worries about what other people think of her. She wants to live a luxurious life married to a wealthy husband with a successful career. She also desires to please people around her and to show them that she belongs in the high class society. In addition, Isabel is a narrow-minded and impatient woman who wants to find comfort and happiness her way without any conflict of challenge. Before Larry moved to Paris, Isabel was very optimistic about her relationship with him. However, she “[g]ave him up for a square-cut diamond and a sable coat” from Gray Maturin, a successful broker (205). When she married Gray, she gave birth to two children and obtained the freedom to spend money on anything she wanted – her ideal happy life. Money was significant to her because she believed that without money, there is no purpose in living. However, his fate was not all happy. Her happiness quickly came to an end when Gray’s business went bankrupt; therefore, they had to manage to live with a low income. When she was experiencing financial difficulties, she realized how Larry felt and regretted having misunderstood him in the past. Fortunately, Isabel received Elliott’s fortune when he passed away. Aside from her complex financial outcome, she also had an unaccomplished love for Larry, she married Gray even though she had strong feelings towards Larry and stayed in love with him for the rest of her life, regretting many decisions she had
The novel, The Razor’s Edge by William Somerset Maugham tells of a young man named Larry Darrell, who struggles to find the meaning of life. He lives an insecure life in an atmosphere where he his pressured by his fiancée Isabel and her family to settle down in a normal life. Larry and Isabel are struggling to maintain a well-adjusted relationship. They both seek happiness in different ways. Larry plans to ‘loaf’ in Paris and eventually travels around the world to understand the purpose of life and what it means to live blissfully. On the other hand, Isabel believes that money is the only way to reconcile with Larry. This is a good example of how the word ‘happiness’ can be defined in many ways. This story is about a group of people who are seeking happiness in different ways.
William S. Maugham’s ironic novel tells the story of Larry Darrell; an attractive American who spent two years of his life in World War I. Larry’s former fiancée is a beautiful Isabel Bradley who is struggling to maintain a balanced relationship with Larry. When Larry returns home from the war, he is still in shock by the death of his friend, who lost his life to save Larry that made him unwilling to talk. He wants to spend more time to settle his past to understand the meaning of life and to discover why evil exists. The goal of Larry and Isabel is simply to be happy; however they seek happiness in different ways. Larry’s method of being happy is to understand the purpose of life and to gain knowledge from real-life experience; therefore, he move to Paris for two years and eventually travels around the world. In contrast, Isabel had her own definition of life – it is to live in wealth pleasing those around her. In addition, Maugham introduces two other characters who also seek happiness in their lives. Elliott, Isabel’s uncle, is a wise man who manages a happy life by attending parties. Similarly, Sophie MacDonald, a victim of circumstances, lost her family in a fatal accident and overcomes her depression through debauchery drinking. This is an interesting novel that discusses how opposite people strive to obtain happiness in their lives.
Isabel Bradley is one of the main characters who is struggling to find happiness to satisfy her life. Throughout the story, Maugham describes the definition of happiness from each character’s point-of-view. Isabel stated,
“I’m young, I want to have fun. I want to do all things that people do. I want to go to parties, I want to go to dances, I want to play golf and ride horseback. I want to wear nice clothes. Can’t you imagine what it means to a girl not to be as well dressed as the rest of her crowd?” (71).
Isabel is a very sensitive character who worries about what other people think of her. She wants to live a luxurious life married to a wealthy husband with a successful career. She also desires to please people around her and to show them that she belongs in the high class society. In addition, Isabel is a narrow-minded and impatient woman who wants to find comfort and happiness her way without any conflict of challenge. Before Larry moved to Paris, Isabel was very optimistic about her relationship with him. However, she “[g]ave him up for a square-cut diamond and a sable coat” from Gray Maturin, a successful broker (205). When she married Gray, she gave birth to two children and obtained the freedom to spend money on anything she wanted – her ideal happy life. Money was significant to her because she believed that without money, there is no purpose in living. However, his fate was not all happy. Her happiness quickly came to an end when Gray’s business went bankrupt; therefore, they had to manage to live with a low income. When she was experiencing financial difficulties, she realized how Larry felt and regretted having misunderstood him in the past. Fortunately, Isabel received Elliott’s fortune when he passed away. Aside from her complex financial outcome, she also had an unaccomplished love for Larry, she married Gray even though she had strong feelings towards Larry and stayed in love with him for the rest of her life, regretting many decisions she had
made in the past.
Another character in the story is Elliott Templeton. A generous man, Elliott sustained a happy life through parties and fame amongst noble societies. As Maugham observed, “He took no interest in people apart from their social position” (9). As he tried to make close connection with rich, noble people, in returned, he hoped to gain popularity. What is more, Elliott sought happiness in his own peculiar way. He developed a routine of partying and hobnobbing with the royalties and celebrities. He was an asset to all parties and often threw expensive parties where he tried hard to please the important guests. In fact, Elliott had such a hunger for fame that he even used religion and Catholic to church to achieve status. As Maugham explained, “His conversion, combined with the generosity he showed in his contributions to Catholic charities, opened several doors that had been closed to him before” (11-12). Through his donation to the church, the nobilities began acknowledging him for his contribution towards his church. Finally, Elliott took leave of life in his own way. As time elapsed, Elliott’s health deteriorated, and he soon because paralyzed. Before his death, his final wish was to be invited to the Edna Novernali’s grand party to which he wasn’t invited. However, he later received a fake invitation letter through Maugham’s conspiracy and died happy. The irony of his death is shown in the novel because Elliott knew numerous celebrities and royalties, yet, he died lonely in his bed, silently, wishing to enjoy the company of royalties in paradise.
Sophie MacDonald is a third character who wallowed in corporal and worldly pleasures to cope with the tragic deaths of her husband and her baby. Her main goal was to overlook the past and enjoy life. She and her husband, Bob MacDonald, were a happy couple who enjoyed their married life with a baby girl. Unfortunately, a fatal accident suddenly crushed Sophie’s perfect life. Due to her unexpected loss of her family, Sophie became insecure with herself and did not care how the world mistreated her. In order to recover from the tragedy, she selected a path that was rarely chosen by people. Instead of trying to live a fulfilling life, she kept herself busy by drinking, dancing, partying and spending time with men. This was the only way for her to stop dwelling on the past and to move on. When Sophie experienced a great depression from the loss of her family, she assumed that everything was terminated and there was no chance to improve her life. Sophie, being naturally unbalanced, Larry decided to find a doctor who would look after her and cure her completely. Having lost a husband and her family, at one point, she agreed to marry Larry because she needed him to guide her through difficult situations and Larry wanted to be the support that she needed. Nevertheless, Sophie could not shun the tragic outcome that awaited her; she could not resist the temptations of her old life style and fell back on her decadent habits. In addition, she cancelled her wedding and ran away from Larry because “[w]hen it came to the point [she] couldn’t see [herself] being Mary Magdalen to his Jesus Christ” (218). Sophie underestimated herself thinking that she was not worth of Larry and would cause a great distress to him. Having gone through another unsuccessful relationship, Sophie no longer had faith in herself and began smoking and drinking. Sophie’s death was no less tragic than her life. One day, she was found dead with her throat slashed by her sailor friends.
Finally, the most important character, Larry Darrel, seeks to find the true meaning of happiness and life by challenging himself and traveling around the world. The issue arose when Larry was serving as a pilot in World War I: “I want to make up my mind whether God is or God is not. I want to find out why evil exists. I want to know whether I have an immortal soul or whether when I die it is the end” (69). The death of his friend was such a climatic event that he began to question himself for answers about life and death. This question began to annoy Larry; therefore, in order to make himself satisfied, he wanted to travel the world, find answers to his seemingly unanswerable questions, and discover wisdom. The fact that he was on this journey and being involved around spirituality made him happy, tranquil and calm. While the other characters used money to satisfy their lives, Larry decided to follow a challenging, yet meaningful road, avoiding money. Larry stated, “Money to you means freedom; to me, it means bondage” (284). He believes that money cannot fulfill one’s life because not everyone has infinite amount of money they can spend. Also, if one has financial difficulties, he or she will feel as if money is slavery because one will believe that without money, the society will view him or her as someone who lives amongst low status. However, Larry proved them wrong by managing a stable life with just $3000.00 annually. The method Larry chose in order to learn the purpose of life was to loaf in many different places around the world. Larry was filled with excitement for the mysteries of the world, was still young, uneducated and ventured out into the world. Larry began his adventure by working at a coal mine where he befriended a fellow miner named Kosti, who often spoke about mysticism. Kosti was the first person to introduce spiritual knowledge that Larry was seeking. Although he was an unstable, uncivilized man, he was the first stepping stone that guided Larry’s journey. The next encounter was with a Benedictine in Bonn. Father Ensheim appeared as a knowledgeable and open-minded person who helped Larry to learn about himself. In addition, he introduced Larry to the existence of evil. He wanted to know why there was evil in the world; however, the monks were intelligent but their answers seemed inadequate to Larry. He continued his journey to India where in his enlightment, he understood everything that he wanted to understand. He did not find absolute and definite reason for the existence of finite and necessity of evil. Maugham said, “This long quest of yours started with the problem of evil. It was the problem of evil that urged you on. You've said nothing all this time to indicate that you've reached even a tentative solution of it” (279). Larry’s journey finally came to and end and what he gained from the journey was not absolute but it satisfied him. He discovered the knowledge of the world. Most importantly, he found true, pure happiness. Although the author did not describe Larry’s final life as the ultimate success, with the knowledge he regained from the unpredictable experience, Larry moved to New York and accomplished his first book that described his life as a loafer.
William Somerset Maugham uses a unique approach to the novel by inserting himself as a minor character who is constantly in and out of the lievs of the major characters such as Larry Darrell, Isabel Bradley, Sophie MacDonald and Elliott Templeton. This is a novel about the man’s pursuit of the meaning of life which is as long as history itself, yet this quest is the most challenging. Maugham suggests the path to true happiness is difficult to follow; in fact, it is as difficult as walking on the edge of a razor.
Another character in the story is Elliott Templeton. A generous man, Elliott sustained a happy life through parties and fame amongst noble societies. As Maugham observed, “He took no interest in people apart from their social position” (9). As he tried to make close connection with rich, noble people, in returned, he hoped to gain popularity. What is more, Elliott sought happiness in his own peculiar way. He developed a routine of partying and hobnobbing with the royalties and celebrities. He was an asset to all parties and often threw expensive parties where he tried hard to please the important guests. In fact, Elliott had such a hunger for fame that he even used religion and Catholic to church to achieve status. As Maugham explained, “His conversion, combined with the generosity he showed in his contributions to Catholic charities, opened several doors that had been closed to him before” (11-12). Through his donation to the church, the nobilities began acknowledging him for his contribution towards his church. Finally, Elliott took leave of life in his own way. As time elapsed, Elliott’s health deteriorated, and he soon because paralyzed. Before his death, his final wish was to be invited to the Edna Novernali’s grand party to which he wasn’t invited. However, he later received a fake invitation letter through Maugham’s conspiracy and died happy. The irony of his death is shown in the novel because Elliott knew numerous celebrities and royalties, yet, he died lonely in his bed, silently, wishing to enjoy the company of royalties in paradise.
Sophie MacDonald is a third character who wallowed in corporal and worldly pleasures to cope with the tragic deaths of her husband and her baby. Her main goal was to overlook the past and enjoy life. She and her husband, Bob MacDonald, were a happy couple who enjoyed their married life with a baby girl. Unfortunately, a fatal accident suddenly crushed Sophie’s perfect life. Due to her unexpected loss of her family, Sophie became insecure with herself and did not care how the world mistreated her. In order to recover from the tragedy, she selected a path that was rarely chosen by people. Instead of trying to live a fulfilling life, she kept herself busy by drinking, dancing, partying and spending time with men. This was the only way for her to stop dwelling on the past and to move on. When Sophie experienced a great depression from the loss of her family, she assumed that everything was terminated and there was no chance to improve her life. Sophie, being naturally unbalanced, Larry decided to find a doctor who would look after her and cure her completely. Having lost a husband and her family, at one point, she agreed to marry Larry because she needed him to guide her through difficult situations and Larry wanted to be the support that she needed. Nevertheless, Sophie could not shun the tragic outcome that awaited her; she could not resist the temptations of her old life style and fell back on her decadent habits. In addition, she cancelled her wedding and ran away from Larry because “[w]hen it came to the point [she] couldn’t see [herself] being Mary Magdalen to his Jesus Christ” (218). Sophie underestimated herself thinking that she was not worth of Larry and would cause a great distress to him. Having gone through another unsuccessful relationship, Sophie no longer had faith in herself and began smoking and drinking. Sophie’s death was no less tragic than her life. One day, she was found dead with her throat slashed by her sailor friends.
Finally, the most important character, Larry Darrel, seeks to find the true meaning of happiness and life by challenging himself and traveling around the world. The issue arose when Larry was serving as a pilot in World War I: “I want to make up my mind whether God is or God is not. I want to find out why evil exists. I want to know whether I have an immortal soul or whether when I die it is the end” (69). The death of his friend was such a climatic event that he began to question himself for answers about life and death. This question began to annoy Larry; therefore, in order to make himself satisfied, he wanted to travel the world, find answers to his seemingly unanswerable questions, and discover wisdom. The fact that he was on this journey and being involved around spirituality made him happy, tranquil and calm. While the other characters used money to satisfy their lives, Larry decided to follow a challenging, yet meaningful road, avoiding money. Larry stated, “Money to you means freedom; to me, it means bondage” (284). He believes that money cannot fulfill one’s life because not everyone has infinite amount of money they can spend. Also, if one has financial difficulties, he or she will feel as if money is slavery because one will believe that without money, the society will view him or her as someone who lives amongst low status. However, Larry proved them wrong by managing a stable life with just $3000.00 annually. The method Larry chose in order to learn the purpose of life was to loaf in many different places around the world. Larry was filled with excitement for the mysteries of the world, was still young, uneducated and ventured out into the world. Larry began his adventure by working at a coal mine where he befriended a fellow miner named Kosti, who often spoke about mysticism. Kosti was the first person to introduce spiritual knowledge that Larry was seeking. Although he was an unstable, uncivilized man, he was the first stepping stone that guided Larry’s journey. The next encounter was with a Benedictine in Bonn. Father Ensheim appeared as a knowledgeable and open-minded person who helped Larry to learn about himself. In addition, he introduced Larry to the existence of evil. He wanted to know why there was evil in the world; however, the monks were intelligent but their answers seemed inadequate to Larry. He continued his journey to India where in his enlightment, he understood everything that he wanted to understand. He did not find absolute and definite reason for the existence of finite and necessity of evil. Maugham said, “This long quest of yours started with the problem of evil. It was the problem of evil that urged you on. You've said nothing all this time to indicate that you've reached even a tentative solution of it” (279). Larry’s journey finally came to and end and what he gained from the journey was not absolute but it satisfied him. He discovered the knowledge of the world. Most importantly, he found true, pure happiness. Although the author did not describe Larry’s final life as the ultimate success, with the knowledge he regained from the unpredictable experience, Larry moved to New York and accomplished his first book that described his life as a loafer.
William Somerset Maugham uses a unique approach to the novel by inserting himself as a minor character who is constantly in and out of the lievs of the major characters such as Larry Darrell, Isabel Bradley, Sophie MacDonald and Elliott Templeton. This is a novel about the man’s pursuit of the meaning of life which is as long as history itself, yet this quest is the most challenging. Maugham suggests the path to true happiness is difficult to follow; in fact, it is as difficult as walking on the edge of a razor.
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