Of Human Bondage · Chapter
LXXXVIII explained
Philip, while visiting Athelny, is deeply moved by the paintings of El Greco and the mystical Spanish literature that Athelny recites.
What happens
Philip, while visiting Athelny, is deeply moved by the paintings of El Greco and the mystical Spanish literature that Athelny recites. He reflects on the contrast between his previous devotion to realism and a new, more profound vision of life that combines realism with spiritual insight. He feels on the brink of a discovery about the meaning of life, sensing that self-control and the inward life can be as rich and passionate as any outward adventure.
Themes in this chapter
The Search for Meaning
Philip is actively seeking a meaning in life, and through El Greco's art and Spanish mysticism, he feels a vague but powerful offer of understanding.
Art and Authenticity
Philip grapples with the nature of art, moving from a devotion to exact realism toward a vision of realism transformed by spiritual insight, as seen in El Greco's work.
Suffering and Disillusionment
Philip reflects on his past disillusionment with idealism and his embrace of life's sordidness, but now senses a higher realism that transcends mere ugliness.
Characters to notice
- Philip Carey
Philip is profoundly troubled and excited by El Greco's paintings, feeling he is on the threshold of a new discovery about life and meaning.
- Thorpe Athelny
Athelny shares his translations of Spanish mystical poetry and discusses El Greco with Philip, revealing his own passion for the unseen.
- Hayward
Philip contrasts his new insights with Hayward's type of idealism, which he now sees as a cowardly retreat from life.
Key passages
“He seemed to see that a man need not leave his life to chance, but that his will was powerful; he seemed to see that self-control might be as passionate and as active as the surrender to passion; he seemed to see that the inward life might be as manifold, as varied, as rich with experience, as the life of one who conquered realms and explored unknown lands.”
Philip realizes that a person does not have to be a passive victim of fate; his will is strong, and self-discipline can be just as intense and dynamic as giving in to desire. The inner life can be as full and adventurous as that of any explorer or conqueror.
This passage captures Philip's emerging insight that meaning and richness are found not only in external action but also in the disciplined inner life.
“It was a city of the soul seen by a wan light that was neither that of night nor day. It stood on a green hill, but of a green not of this world, and it was surrounded by massive walls and bastions to be stormed by no machines or engines of man's invention, but by prayer and fasting, by contrite sighs and by mortifications of the flesh.”
The city in El Greco's painting is a spiritual vision, illuminated by an otherworldly light. Its defenses are not physical but spiritual, requiring devotion and penance to overcome.
Philip is struck by the mystical, transcendent quality of El Greco's Toledo, which represents a spiritual reality beyond the material world.