Confrontations Between Reason And The Irrational In The Moon And Sixpence

As a brilliant writer, William Somerset Maugham has become the focus of critics in the world of literary researches. Published in 1919, The Moon and Sixpence is one of the three best novels written by him after the debut of Of Human Bondage.Since its publication, this novel has attracted the attention of many critics from home and abroad. Their analysis of this novel from such aspects as Gauguin’s trace in this novel, the primitiveness of Tahiti, the themes of self-searching, spiritual salvation and freedom has deepened the reader’s understanding. However, its interpretation remains open in the aspect of confrontations between reason and the irrational and could be worthy of further interpretation.Taking the idea that confrontations between reason and the irrational in human spirit constitute the fundamental contradiction in the inner spirit of human beings as the main theoretical foundation, this thesis undertakes to explore the confrontation between reason and the irrational in The Moon and Sixpence from the following three aspects: the confrontation between spirit and matter, the interaction between reason and the irrational and the continuation of the discussion of mind-body problem in ancient philosophy.Through the analysis of the main characters’ life encounters in the novel, this thesis reveals that the confrontation between reason and the irrational not only reflects the conflicts of spirit and matter in human life, but also is a continuation of the discussion of mind and body in ancient philosophy. Thus, this thesis provides an interpretation of Maugham’s exploration of human experiences and the situation of human existence in The Moon and Sixpence.