Larry’s Self-Construction In Maugham’s The Razor’s Edge

William Somerset Maugham was considered as "The English Maupassant". He wrote many novels, short stories, dramas, essays, and travel notes in his life. Maugham’s novels share a common theme---the quest for Self through a spiritual journey. This thesis employs French philosopher Michel Foucault’s notion of the Care of the Self in Aesthetics of Existence, to analyze the protagonist Larry’s Self-construction in Maugham’s The Razor’s Edge, and tries to study the spiritual world in Maugham’s works.Foucault states that the Aesthetics of Existence attaches importance to constituting oneself as subject, which suggests that we should place hope on ourselves so as to construct a true Self. Aesthetics of Existence is the practice of individual. It advocates that the focus of ethics should be the relationship of individuals with themselves, which arouses people’s concern for the purpose of life.The thesis is divided into three chapters.Chapter1discusses the causes of Larry’s Self-construction. There are two causes included:the external cause is the complicated social background after World War I. Against such complicated background, Larry began to quest for the life and care of himself; and the internal cause is Larry’s Identity Crisis which leads to awareness of the Self.Chapter2traces the process of the Larry’s Self-construction. The process includes three stages:the first stage is Larry’s Self-examination. He rejected the job of stockbroker and wanted to "loaf in Paris. After Self-examination, Larry proposed lots of questions and began to take lots of practice. He indulged in reading; spent a few months in manual labor; wanted to find answers to his questions in religion but failed. At last, he obtained Telos in India inspired by Vedanta.Chapter3analyzes the result of Larry’s Self-construction. Larry returned to selflessness and tranquility. Furthermore, he led a philosophical life that focused on spiritual experience and spiritual development.Based on the study, the thesis concludes that Larry’s Self-construction is the inevitable action after the awareness of the Self. The causes, process and result of Larry’s Self-construction support Foucault’s Aesthetics of Existence, that is the subjectivity changed his/her body, spirit, action, and soul by using Technologies of the Self or asking help from others. The person who has finished Self-construction has achieved a happy, perfect as well as permanent state.