A Thematic Interpretation Of Growth In Of Human Bondage From The Perspective Of Spatial Criticism

Of Human Bondage is a famous novel written by William Somerset Maugham,a British writer.The novel explores human nature,freedom and the meaning of life,which gives readers great spiritual illumination.Studies of this novel at home and abroad are abundant since the publication of it.Interpretations of it are from various perspectives such as philosophy,psychology and naturalism,etc.Such a work with rich meaning and great spiritual illumination attracts people to dig it deeper and study it more.This thesis attempts to study the theme of growth from the perspective of spatial criticism.Spatial criticism is the discourse practice of space theory in the field of literary criticism.It takes space as the object of criticism,digs out the deep connotations of space in literary texts,and explores the relationship between space and literature.And according to Henri Lefebvre’s space theory,there are three dimensions of space: physical space,social space and psychological space.Physical space refers to the natural scene which has a metaphorical meaning,where the relationship between man and the world can be explored.Social space is produced by the social practice of people,and the essence of social space is the interactive relationship between people,that is,social relations.Psychological space refers to the spiritual world where man thinks and reflects the relationship between man and self.Man is closely related to space.Man exists in space,and one’s growth needs space.As an important theme in Of Human Bondage,the growth of the protagonist,Philip,also needs space.In physical space,Philip attains colorful life experiences such as the restricted life in Britain,the academic life in Germany and the bohemian life in France.Those experiences help him to learn the relationship between man and the world.In social space such as the religious life,working practices and love relationships,Philip forms his outlook on religion,career and love.In the process of forming his outlook,Philip understands the relationship between man and the society.In psychological space,Philip thinks about true freedom and explores the meaning of life.In his philosophical thinking and exploration,he achieves epiphany and comprehends the relationship between man and self.When Philip attains colorful life experiences,forms positive outlook,achieves epiphany and understands the relationship between man and the world,between man and the society and between man and self,he achieves his overall growth.By interpreting the relationship between Philip’s growth and space,the novel may be understood deeper.The relationship between man and space,and that between space and literature may be fully comprehended.Space represents the world people live in,and the world of human life is the object of literature.Literature,on the one hand,is an objective representation of the world of human life;on the other hand,it is also an important way for human beings to understand the world.Of Human Bondage is such a novel with rich meaning,therefore,it is worthy of more interpretations and more studies.