Book Review
Pick up Sixpence and Buy the Moon
The Moon and Sixpence described that a man who called Charles Strickland had the honorable position, a model family, a mild wife and two lively children. However, he abandoned all he owned and turned to go to Paris for painting. He thought that painting was the most important thing in his world. He divorced and ignored his responsibility. Then he lived in a narrow and dirty inn in Paris, suffered from poverty for a long time.
Before long Strickland went to the Tahiti, an island on the South Pacific Ocean. He fell in love with an aboriginal lady, Ata. Charles Strickland lived with Ata for 3 years, enjoyed the happiest time in his life. He finally painted some beautiful picture and showed his genius in painting. At last he became blinded and asked Ata to destroy his splendid painting, ending his life.
The author is William Somerset Maugham, a famous novelist and dramatist in Britain. When he was a young boy, he was interested in literature and enjoyed writing.
Why the author used the Moon and the Sixpence as the title? Once a reviewer said human is addicted to the moon above, but ignored the pence on the ground. Maugham then chose The moon and Sixpence as the name of his novel.
The author said that Strickland was an odious man, feeling that Strickland is cold and had no responsibility for his family. He just interested in painting. Conscience has no use for such a man.
A coin has two sides. Strickland differed from most Englishmen in that he was not at all interested in comfort. He did not care always living in a shabby house. He didn't need to be surrounded by beautiful things. From this aspect, I admire him and appreciate his character. But he is too selfish. He can ignore everything for his needs. He is a mad lunatic. So I feel bad for him from this aspect.
The author wrote the novel in the first person. At the end, the author presents Tahiti as a perfect place. He chose this spot and let Strickland destroy his painting. I think what the author wants to show is that when a person is at the top, make him stop doing what he is doing. Maybe this is the beauty in imperfection.
There is a gap between art and life. Most artists don't get a happy life. They seek the true meaning of life. They believe they are born for art. Such people hardly exist in society. So we're not going to be that kind of person. Because we exist in the real world.
Think about it. Is it worth giving up everything you have and listening to your intuition? If the results would make your life worse, would you? I don't think the Chinese can imagine that. Faced with the unknown, we are usually afraid of it and think twice before acting. Maybe it's the difference between Chinese and foreigners.
The moon symbolizes our dreams as something we can't get. The penny is a symbol of reality. We don't like it, but we need it. So whether to choose the moon or the penny is a question. It was also a very difficult choice for me. I can't leave without penny. So if I had to choose one, I chose the penny, which means I chose the real world.
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