Of Human Bondage · Question
How does Of Human Bondage develop the theme of Isolation and Belonging?
Answer
Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham develops Isolation and Belonging across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
Philip's clubfoot and introspective nature make him feel perpetually apart from others, and the novel traces his painful search for friendship, love, and a place where he can be accepted.
Philip's mother's desperate clinging to him and the doctor's decision to remove him foreshadow his future isolation and search for belonging.
Philip is an only child who amuses himself alone, and his clubfoot sets him apart, as noted by the strangers.
Philip is uprooted from his home and the care of Emma, forced to go live with an uncle he barely knows, deepening his sense of loneliness.
Evidence in the book
- The Day Breaks Gray and Dull
Philip's mother's desperate clinging to him and the doctor's decision to remove him foreshadow his future isolation and search for belonging.
- II
Philip is an only child who amuses himself alone, and his clubfoot sets him apart, as noted by the strangers.
- Chapter III
Philip is uprooted from his home and the care of Emma, forced to go live with an uncle he barely knows, deepening his sense of loneliness.
- IV
Philip's arrival at the vicarage highlights his sense of displacement and the awkwardness of fitting into a new, unfamiliar household.
- VI
Philip is isolated in the rigid, uneventful life of the vicarage, where he must adapt to a world of strict routines and social divisions.
- VII
Philip begins to feel a sense of belonging as he walks hand-in-hand with his uncle and is comforted by Mary Ann's care.
- VIII
Philip feels more at home with the servant Mary Ann than with his own family, highlighting his emotional isolation.
- IX
Philip's solitary reading in the hammock and his aunt's refusal to let him play with other children underscore his isolation.
