Chase my soul
Life is so long and fleeting that some see the dust and some see the stars.Just like the lyrics say,“Life is not just about living humbly in the present，but also melodious poems and a bright future.”The artistic conception of this sentence can be traced back to a book called《The Moon and Sixpence》which I just finished reading.
《The Moon and Sixpence》, based on the story of Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), a French post impressionist painter, tells the story of Strickland, a London stockbroker——Charles Strickland,who is a staid banker,a man of wealth and privilege.He is also a man possessed of an unquenchable desire to create art.As Strickland pursues his artistic vision,he leaves London for Paris and Tahiti,and in his quest makes sacrifices that leaves the lives of those closest to him in tatters.Through Maugham’s sympathetic eye Strickland’s tortured and cruel soul becomes a symbol of the blessing and the curse of transcendent artistic genius,and the cost in humans lives it sometimes demands.
"Sixpence" in the book refers to the silver coin with low value in England at that time, which represents the cruel reality and secular material; while the "Moon" hangs high above, symbolizing ideal and freedom, where poetry abounds . The former can be found everywhere, but the latter is out of reach. They represent two completely different pursuits and states in our life.
But the fact is,Almost all the people in the world are doing addition for their own life, one by one identity, one by one role, and they are eager for many halos. It is these things that have become self kidnapping and trapped them in the barriers of the world.Nevertheless, what Strickland did for himself was a subtraction. He threw off his identities: stockbroker, husband, father. He threw off his good life, just like removing layers of shackles. Finally, he stepped into his inner call steadfast.
The contradiction between ideal and reality, the conflict between art and life, the friction between society and self, and the contrast between emotion and reason are fully reflected in Strickland, the "mad painter".
However, the writer Maugham did not deliberately emphasize the binary opposition between "Moon" and "Sixpence". This is not his ultimate goal. He has a profounder spiritual inquiry in the novel. He highlighted a lot about Strickland's "spirituality". While describing Strickland's vulgarity and ruthlessness, he also described his unparalleled spiritual needs, extraordinary willpower and creative passion.
This is the "Moon" to a higher degree - Maugham's Utopia for art.
Sometimes, when a person came to a place, a sense of belonging arose spontaneously , so he could wander in the scenery that he had never seen and the crowd that he had never known, seeking peace of mind out.Thereupon in this barbarous and savage Land of Peach Blossoms insulate from morality and value, he exerted himself to paint. He became famous and burgeoned into a master whose painting people scrambled to have a glimpse at . But after he died of leprosy, everything was burned in accordance with his will.
I reckon this is Maugham's ponder about vera libertas - is there Utopia in the world like Tahiti to Strickland?
“Only the poet is certain with saint ability, arduous on bitumen road surface water meeting implantation gives lily to come.”Perhaps the perfect Utopia is only transient and fragile.For this reason,what should we response?
I dare not say that I have understood the book entirely, but everyone has the right to choose how to live. There is nothing wrong with choosing "sixpence" or "Moon".It doesn’t matter how you live,but avoiding repending what you have done when your chapters of lives come to an end is of great necessity.Only when you truly realized your dreams,can you earn real peace,no more intimidations.
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