# XXVI explained — The Moon and Sixpence

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

## What happens

Strickland is moved to Stroeve's studio and nursed back to health over six weeks. Dirk Stroeve devotes himself entirely to Strickland's care, while Blanche Stroeve, despite her earlier objections, proves a capable and devoted nurse. The narrator observes the strange, silent tension between Strickland and Blanche, noting Strickland's primitive, almost inhuman quality and his indifference to comfort. Strickland's recovery is marked by his rude, ungrateful demeanor, yet Stroeve remains patient and even amused.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Primitive and the Civilized

Strickland is described as having something primitive, partaking of obscure forces of nature, like a satyr or faun, and possessing a sensuality that seems curiously spiritual.

### The Artist as Outcast

Strickland's indifference to comfort, his rude and ungrateful behavior, and his inhuman quality mark him as an outcast even among those who care for him.

### Love and Obsession

Dirk Stroeve's obsessive devotion to Strickland's care and Blanche's silent, conflicted attention to Strickland hint at complex emotional undercurrents.

## Character check-ins

### Charles Strickland

Lies ill in Stroeve's studio, silent and ungrateful; his eyes show a curious irony and sensuality; he is indifferent to comfort and reads Mallarmé and Gaboriau.

### The Narrator

Observes Strickland's recovery and the dynamics between the Stroeves and Strickland; finds Strickland detestable and tells him so.

### Dirk Stroeve

Nurses Strickland with tenderness and patience, giving up his own work; is delighted with Blanche's devotion but puzzled by the silent tension between her and Strickland.

### Blanche Stroeve

Proves a capable and devoted nurse despite her hatred of Strickland; mends his shirt and watches him silently; her expression shows perplexity and alarm.

## Key lines

> I have never known a more difficult patient. It was not that he was exacting and querulous; on the contrary, he never complained, he asked for nothing, he was perfectly silent; but he seemed to resent the care that was taken of him; he received all inquiries about his feelings or his needs with a jibe, a sneer, or an oath.

Strickland was the hardest patient imaginable: he never complained or asked for anything, but he resented being cared for and responded to any concern with mockery or curses.

_Highlights Strickland's ungrateful and hostile demeanor during his illness._

> There was something monumental in his ungainliness. I do not know how to express precisely the impression he made upon me. It was not exactly spirituality that was obvious, though the screen of the flesh seemed almost transparent, because there was in his face an outrageous sensuality; but, though it sounds nonsense, it seemed as though his sensuality were curiously spiritual.

Strickland's awkwardness had a grand, almost imposing quality; his emaciated body revealed a strange mix of raw sensuality and a kind of spirituality.

_Captures the narrator's perception of Strickland's paradoxical nature._

> I thought of Marsyas, whom the god flayed because he had dared to rival him in song. Strickland seemed to bear in his heart strange harmonies and unadventured patterns, and I foresaw for him an end of torture and despair.

The narrator compares Strickland to Marsyas, the satyr who was punished for challenging Apollo, suggesting Strickland harbors unique artistic visions that will lead to his suffering.

_Foreshadows Strickland's tragic fate and his role as a defiant artist._

## Links

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