# CII explained — Of Human Bondage

> Chapter companion for Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham.

## What happens

Athelny secures Philip a job at Lynn and Sedley, first as a shop-walker after his poster design is rejected. Philip joins a crowd of applicants, is interviewed by the manager, and accepts a position at six shillings a week plus keep.

## Themes in this chapter

### Class and Social Mobility

Philip, an educated man with artistic training, must start at the bottom of the retail ladder, illustrating the harsh realities of class and economic necessity.

### Suffering and Disillusionment

Philip's hopes for a creative job are dashed, and he accepts a menial position, reflecting his ongoing disillusionment with life's possibilities.

## Character check-ins

### Philip Carey

Accepts a job as a shop-walker at Lynn and Sedley after his poster is rejected.

### Thorpe Athelny

Arranges the interview for Philip and brings his poster to the manager.

## Key lines

> Philip made a poster for the summer sale and Athelny took it away. Two days later he brought it back, saying that the manager admired it very much and regretted with all his heart that there was no vacancy just then in that department.

Philip designed a poster for the summer sale, but Athelny returned it with the manager's polite refusal, claiming no position was available in the design department.

_Philip's artistic ambitions are thwarted, forcing him to consider lower-level work._

> Start at the bottom of the ladder, that's the only way to learn the business, and then if you stick to it there's no knowing what it can lead to.

The manager advises Philip that beginning in a humble role is essential for learning the trade, with potential for future advancement.

_The manager's platitude underscores the theme of social mobility and the precariousness of Philip's new position._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/of_human_bondage_se/chapters/cii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/of_human_bondage_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/of_human_bondage_se/chapters