# XII explained — The Moon and Sixpence

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

## What happens

The narrator confronts Charles Strickland in a Paris café, where Strickland reveals that he abandoned his family not for another woman, but to pursue painting. Despite the narrator's moral arguments, Strickland remains resolute, claiming an irresistible compulsion to paint.

## Themes in this chapter

### Artistic Genius and Sacrifice

Strickland sacrifices his family, reputation, and comfort for an uncontrollable drive to paint, illustrating the theme of artistic compulsion over personal ties.

### Convention vs. Individuality

Strickland defies societal expectations of a stockbroker and family man, choosing an unconventional path as a painter.

## Character check-ins

### Charles Strickland

Reveals his true reason for leaving: an obsessive need to paint, dismissing family and societal judgment.

### The Narrator

Sent to Paris to reason with Strickland, he is shocked by Strickland's callousness and artistic obsession.

## Key lines

> I tell you I've got to paint. I can't help myself. When a man falls into the water it doesn't matter how he swims, well or badly: he's got to get out or else he'll drown.

Strickland insists that painting is an irresistible necessity, comparing it to a drowning man's instinct to survive.

_Strickland's passionate declaration of his artistic compulsion._

> You are a most unmitigated cad.

The narrator calls Strickland a complete scoundrel for abandoning his family.

_The narrator's moral condemnation of Strickland's actions._

## Links

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