Of Human Bondage · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham.

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Chapter 1
The Day Breaks Gray and Dull
The novel opens with Philip Carey, a young child, being woken by a servant and brought to his mother's bedside. His mother, who is gravely ill, holds him close and kisses him before the doctor takes him away. It is revealed that she has just given birth to a stillborn child. The doctor and nurse discuss Philip's future, noting that his godmother, Miss Watkin, will take him. The chapter ends with the doctor's grim prognosis for Mrs. Carey's survival.
Chapter 2
II
A week after his mother's death, Philip is fetched from Miss Watkin's house by his nurse Emma. He learns that his mother has died and gone to heaven, and he is taken to meet his Uncle William. Philip enjoys the attention his loss brings, but is also aware of his clubfoot being a source of grief.
Chapter 3
Chapter III
Philip's uncle, Mr. Carey, arrives to take him to Blackstable after his mother's death. Philip is told he must leave Emma, his nurse, and can only take one memento of each parent. He chooses a small clock and then enters his mother's bedroom, where he buries his face in her clothes and lies on her bed, unable to accept that she is gone forever.
Chapter 4
IV
Philip arrives at the vicarage in Blackstable with his uncle, Mr. Carey. He is greeted by his shy Aunt Louisa, who is uncertain how to treat him. Philip is shown to a small room and joins his aunt and uncle for tea, where he sits on books to reach the table and is given the top of his uncle's egg.
Chapter 5
V
Philip learns more about his parents through fragments of conversation and a packet of photographs. His uncle, the Vicar, reflects on his brother Henry's extravagance and his sister-in-law's beauty, while Philip discovers that his mother, knowing she was dying, secretly had photographs taken so that her son would have something to remember her by.

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The Day Breaks Gray and Dull

II

Chapter III

IV

V