# Dr. Coutras — The Moon and Sixpence character guide

> Dr. Coutras in The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Dr. Coutras, Presently Dr. Coutras, LV Mr. Coutras

**First appearance:** 0047-xlviii

## Snapshot

A huge-handed French doctor in Tahiti, fond of a good story and reluctant to walk fourteen kilometres uphill for a painter he despises.

## Who they are

Dr. Coutras moves through Papeete with a resonant voice, a shrewd eye, and a taste for local gossip about copra and vanilla. When a weeping girl brings him a crumpled hundred-franc note for the Red One, he hesitates — Strickland is to him an idle scoundrel living with a native woman — yet duty and curiosity drag him up the valley. His vivid, theatrical account of what he finds there becomes the narrator's chief window onto Strickland's last days.

## Relationships

### [Ata](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/characters/ata)

_professional_

Dr. Coutras treats Ata and her children, and later witnesses her devoted care for the dying Strickland.

### [Charles Strickland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/characters/charles_strickland)

_professional_

Dr. Coutras treats Strickland during his final illness with leprosy, observing his fierce dedication to art until death.

### [Ata](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/characters/ata)

_professional_

Dr. Coutras treats Ata and her children, and later witnesses her devoted care for the dying Strickland.

### [Ata](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/characters/ata)

_professional_

Dr. Coutras treats Ata and her children, and later witnesses her devoted care for the dying Strickland.

### [Charles Strickland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/characters/charles_strickland)

_professional_

Dr. Coutras treats Strickland during his final illness with leprosy, observing his fierce dedication to art until death.

## In the story

### [LV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/lv)

The narrator recounts Dr. Coutras's story of visiting Strickland, diagnosing him with leprosy, and witnessing Ata's devotion.

### [LVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/lvi)

Arrives at Strickland's house after a difficult journey and discovers Strickland's corpse and the extraordinary paintings.

### [LVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/lvii)

Narrates the story of Strickland's final days, the destruction of his masterpiece, and shows the narrator a fruit piece.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/characters/dr_coutras
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/characters