# XLVI explained — The Moon and Sixpence

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

## What happens

The narrator meets Captain Nichols in Tahiti, who claims to have known Charles Strickland and brought him to the islands. Nichols, a beachcomber with a dubious past, shares his acquaintance with Strickland and reveals his own unhappy marriage to a domineering woman. The chapter explores Nichols's character and his strained domestic life.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Artist as Outcast

Captain Nichols, like Strickland, is a rogue and outsider, belonging to no class and living on the fringes of society.

### Gender Roles and Marriage

Captain Nichols's marriage is a portrait of domestic tyranny, with his wife controlling him utterly, contrasting with Strickland's abandonment of his family.

## Character check-ins

### The Narrator

The narrator is in Tahiti, having breakfast at a hotel terrace when Captain Nichols introduces himself.

### Captain Nichols

A lean, shifty-eyed beachcomber who claims to have known Strickland in Marseilles and brought him to the islands. He is practically a teetotaller but drinks whisky, suffers from dyspepsia, and is dominated by his wife.

### Charles Strickland

Mentioned as the subject of the narrator's interest; Captain Nichols claims to have known him and brought him to the islands.

### Mrs. Nichols

Captain Nichols's wife, described as tight-lipped and domineering, belonging to the lower-middle class. She exerts a fearful control over her husband.

## Key lines

> They are as fond of gossip in Tahiti as in an English village, and one or two enquiries I had made for pictures by Strickland had been quickly spread.

Gossip spreads quickly in Tahiti, just like in an English village, and the narrator's inquiries about Strickland's paintings were soon known.

_Highlights the social dynamics of the island._

> The rogue, like the artist and perhaps the gentleman, belongs to no class.

A rogue, like an artist or a gentleman, is not confined to any social class.

_Reflects on the universal nature of certain character types._

> I suppose it was a very pretty example of the triumph of spirit over matter, and so my digression has at least the advantage of a moral.

The narrator observes that Captain Nichols's submission to his wife is a striking example of the spirit prevailing over physical strength, giving the digression a moral.

_Ironical commentary on the Captain's domestic situation._

## Links

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