The Moon and Sixpence · Chapter
XXIV explained
Dirk Stroeve, feeling sentimental about Christmas, convinces the narrator to join him in reconciling with Strickland.
What happens
Dirk Stroeve, feeling sentimental about Christmas, convinces the narrator to join him in reconciling with Strickland. They search for Strickland after learning he is ill, eventually finding him in a squalid attic, suffering from a high fever and having had no food for two days. Stroeve tends to him despite Strickland's hostility.
Themes in this chapter
Convention vs. Individuality
Stroeve's conventional sentimentality about Christmas contrasts with Strickland's isolated, indifferent existence.
The Artist as Outcast
Strickland's severe illness and poverty in a squalid attic highlight his rejection of societal norms and his isolated life as an artist.
Characters to notice
- Dirk Stroeve
Stroeve initiates the search for Strickland out of Christmas sentimentality and guilt over their quarrel, and is deeply distressed by Strickland's condition.
- The Narrator
The narrator accompanies Stroeve, helps locate Strickland, and assesses his medical state.
- Charles Strickland
Found ill and feverish in his attic, having had no food for two days; he is irritable and dismissive of Stroeve's help.
Key passages
“He had a characteristic sentimentality about the day and wanted to pass it among his friends with suitable ceremonies.”
Stroeve felt a typical sentimental attachment to Christmas and wished to celebrate it properly with his friends.
Highlights Stroeve's emotional and conventional nature.
“Strickland was impossible, and he swore never to speak to him again. But the season touched him with gentle feeling, and he hated the thought of Strickland spending Christmas Day by himself.”
Stroeve had vowed to cut ties with Strickland due to his impossible behavior, but the Christmas spirit softened him, and he couldn't bear the idea of Strickland being alone on the holiday.
Shows Stroeve's internal conflict and his compassionate impulse.
“I struck a match, and looked about for a candle. I had a rapid glimpse of a tiny apartment, half room, half studio, in which was nothing but a bed, canvases with their faces to the wall, an easel, a table, and a chair. There was no carpet on the floor. There was no fireplace.”
The narrator lit a match and saw a small, sparsely furnished space that served as both living quarters and studio, with only the barest essentials and no comforts.
Emphasizes Strickland's extreme poverty and minimalistic lifestyle.
“Strickland, breathing laboriously, kept an angry silence. He gave me a resentful glance.”
Strickland, struggling to breathe, remained angrily silent and shot a resentful look at the narrator.
Illustrates Strickland's hostile demeanor even when gravely ill.