# Chapter X explained — The Moon and Sixpence

> Chapter companion for The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham.

## What happens

The narrator agrees to travel to Paris to confront Charles Strickland on behalf of Mrs. Strickland, who is devastated by her husband's abrupt departure. She reveals the details of their marriage, Strickland's cold letter, and her refusal to divorce him, hoping he will return.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Obsession

Mrs. Strickland's desperate desire for her husband's return, despite his betrayal, highlights the theme of obsessive love.

### Gender Roles and Marriage

Mrs. Strickland's concern with social appearances and her role as a wife and mother reflect the constraints of marriage in this era.

## Character check-ins

### The Narrator

Agrees to go to Paris to speak with Strickland, despite having only met him once.

### Mrs. Strickland

Devastated by her husband's abandonment, she refuses to divorce him and pleads for his return.

### Charles Strickland

Has left his family for Paris, sending a brief, cold letter; his whereabouts are known.

### Colonel MacAndrew

Mrs. Strickland's brother, who is eager to go to Paris but is deemed unsuitable by her.

## Key lines

> I want him to come back. If he'll do that we'll let bygones be bygones. After all, we've been married for seventeen years. I'm a broadminded woman. I wouldn't have minded what he did as long as I knew nothing about it.

Mrs. Strickland is willing to forgive Strickland's infidelity if he returns, valuing the appearance of a stable marriage over his actual behavior.

_Reveals her prioritization of social propriety and her deep emotional need for his return._

> I'll never divorce him. Tell him that from me. He'll never be able to marry that woman. I'm as obstinate as he is, and I'll never divorce him. I have to think of my children.

Mrs. Strickland refuses to grant Strickland a divorce, using the children as a justification for her stubbornness.

_Highlights her determination to maintain control and her jealousy, masked as maternal concern._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/x
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters