The Moon and Sixpence · Chapter
XIV explained
The narrator returns to England, reflecting on Strickland's inexplicable decision to become a painter.
What happens
The narrator returns to England, reflecting on Strickland's inexplicable decision to become a painter. He struggles to understand Strickland's motives, ultimately theorizing that a deep-rooted creative instinct, like a cancer or a religious conversion, has seized him. The narrator observes Strickland's complete indifference to convention and the opinions of others, which he finds both fascinating and monstrous. He concludes that Strickland is beyond the reach of conscience and social norms.
Themes in this chapter
Convention vs. Individuality
Strickland's complete disregard for social norms and the narrator's analysis of conscience as a societal tool highlight the tension between individual freedom and societal expectations.
The Artist as Outcast
Strickland's isolation from society and his indifference to blame position him as a monstrous outcast, driven by an uncontrollable creative instinct.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Reflects on Strickland's motives and struggles to understand his abandonment of family and society.
- Charles Strickland
Shows complete indifference to convention and the opinions of others; dismisses Kant's maxim and the narrator's appeals to conscience.
- Mrs. Strickland
Referenced as 'Amy'; Strickland tells the narrator to inform her not to follow him.
Key passages
“I asked myself whether there was not in his soul some deep-rooted instinct of creation, which the circumstances of his life had obscured, but which grew relentlessly, as a cancer may grow in the living tissues, till at last it took possession of his whole being and forced him irresistibly to action.”
The narrator wonders if Strickland possessed an innate creative drive that had been hidden by his ordinary life, but which eventually overwhelmed him like a disease, compelling him to act.
The narrator's attempt to rationalize Strickland's abrupt change using a metaphor of organic growth.
“But here was a man who sincerely did not mind what people thought of him, and so convention had no hold on him; he was like a wrestler whose body is oiled; you could not get a grip on him; it gave him a freedom which was an outrage.”
Strickland genuinely did not care about others' opinions, making him immune to social conventions, like a slippery wrestler impossible to hold, and his freedom was shocking.
The narrator's admiration mixed with horror at Strickland's absolute independence from societal judgment.