The Moon and Sixpence A woman s good life is hidden in her choices

In 1919, Maugham took the life of the French painter Paul Gauguin as the prototype to create the classic ** "The Moon and Sixpence". The book caused an immediate sensation when it was published.

The book tells the story of the protagonist Charles Strickland, a ** agent with a successful career and a happy family, who suddenly gave up his original life when he reached middle age, abandoned his wife and children, ran away from home, and pursued his dreams.

When I first read it, in addition to being moved by the hero's bravery and persistence in chasing his dreams, I was also impressed by the protagonist's ex-wife, Amy.

A stay-at-home wife who has been at home for 17 years, her husband left suddenly, and her previously comfortable life was shattered in an instant.

In the end, she not only succeeded in her career, but also raised a pair of children.

Now re-reading the classics, there is less of the old impulse and more rationality of life;Blocking the brilliance of art and gaining insight into the edge of reality, I found that Amy's successful life was actually foreshadowed.

Don't panic and think thoughtfully

Amy was born into a family of diplomats, received a good education from an early age, had good looks and good manners, and also developed her calm and quiet character.

While on vacation at the beach, the heart-warming Amy met Charles, a personable ** agent, and the two soon fell in love and got married.

After marriage, Amy can go to the hall and the kitchen, not only keeping their small home in order, but also getting along well with neighbors and friends.

However, in the face of such a near-perfect wife, Mr. Strickland suddenly said goodbye without saying goodbye. On that day, it had been seventeen years since they got married.

Seventeen years of marriage, at this moment, collapsed like a house of cards.

It happened suddenly, and without warning.

If you are a bystander, without any economy, a full-time wife who revolves around the pot table for three meals a day may have been at a loss and on the verge of collapse.

But at this time, Amy was worried about her husband's safety, but she calmed down and thought about how to find her husband.

At that time, women were considered to have lost their identity by showing their heads. Especially an elegant woman like Amy, who is among the aristocratic class.

Therefore, Amy's brother-in-law, Colonel Andrew, decides to take Amy's place and go to find Charles.

Amy, however, rejected her brother-in-law after careful consideration, and instead entrusted her husband's friend to act as a lobbyist to persuade her.

The reason why I chose this way is because my brother-in-law is usually short-tempered and has many disagreements with her husband.

And Amy just wants Charles to go home, not to ask for guilt. In contrast, a friend is more suitable than a brother-in-law.

I have to say that Amy is indeed a woman who is not panicked and thoughtful.

As the old saying goes: "If the water is quiet, the image is bright, and if the person is quiet, it will be wise." ”

Life is not always smooth, there are always winds and waves that come quietly without you knowing.

Instead of complaining, let yourself calm down first.

We can't control what happens, but we can keep our emotions in check.

If you don't panic and think about change in silence, it is possible to turn the tables against the wind and survive in a desperate situation.

Know how to let go, and break when you break it

The friend who was commissioned by Amy soon brought back news of Charles - the prodigal son who was called by others did not cheat at all, and he ran away from home just to paint.

Because painting has always been his ideal.

He became a ** agent step by step, and the normal life of getting married and having children was an unbearable sixpence for him;Painting is the moon that never sets in his heart.

Now he was going to abandon the sixpence in his hand and pursue his moon.

Faced with his wife's attitude of looking for a husband and seeking perfection, Charles's answer was - never go back.

The friend tried to play the emotional card and persuaded Charles to think about his wife's pain.

Charles said indifferently: "I don't have her in my heart anymore!."”

It's so insensitive, it's frightening.

Still, my friend wanted to make a final attempt: "You should always think about your children, if you leave it alone, they will end up on the streets." ”

Charles said that his children "have been blessed for so many years, and most children have not", and that this is enough, and they should not ask for anything more.

The friend who returned in vain conveyed Charles's attitude to Amy.

The sister and brother-in-law who had persuaded Amy to divorce believed that this was just a whim of Charles, and he wouldn't last long, and he would come home sooner or later.

When Amy heard this, she said bluntly: "I don't want him back."

Like a thunderclap that resounded through the clear sky, Amy's decision shocked everyone.

In fact, Amy's choice at the moment is not extremely angry and hateful, but more than ten years of dedication, she has already understood that a man who abandons everything like her husband and only pursues himself is not worth redeeming.

Charles's brazen remarks undoubtedly became the last straw that crushed Amy, and her only hope for her husband was shattered, and she decisively divorced him.

In life, there are some things that you should let go if you can't keep them.

Even if they are forcibly retained, they will only end up being a futile struggle.

As the saying goes, "When there is continuous interruption, it is chaotic." ”

What happened later is enough to prove that Charles's selfishness has reached outrageous levels.

After divorcing Amy, Charles met his lover, Blanche. The latter was not only considerate of him, but also in order to inspire Charles's creation, he did not hesitate to use himself as a model for him to paint.

Unexpectedly, after the painting was completed, Blanche, who was crazy about love, was ruthlessly driven away by Charles, and finally committed suicide by taking oxalic acid.

Extremely selfish people, full of indifference in their hearts, no matter how much you try to compromise and selflessly dedicate, you will not get the slightest mercy.

If Amy had chosen to blindly endure and not give up, then Blanche's ending would not have been another life for Amy.

Poor Blanche is "sad for his misfortune and angry at him";And Amy's future confirms that sentence:

"Giving up does not mean losing, because only by giving up can there be another gain. ”

Only by facing it calmly can we survive in a desperate situation

Amy, when she was separated from her husband, had nothing. At that time, she was like a lonely boat drifting away, always under the threat of subversion.

Although Mr. Strickland would have been ordered to pay alimony, he was already destitute and penniless. He himself has to rely on friends for help, let alone pay alimony.

At this time, Amy had to fend for herself. However, for a stay-at-home wife who has been married for 17 years, this is not easy said or done.

In order to be able to raise money, Amy sold her furniture, rented out the house, and rented two small houses in the suburbs to settle down temporarily.

At that time, women in the workplace were not widely recognized by the world, let alone divorced women.

Amy, who couldn't find a job, eventually chose to start her own business.

She urgently learns shorthand and typing to engage clients with her story.

Because of her good education, and because she loved to read and was willing to make friends with literati, she made rapid progress.

She has a great relationship with her friends, and everyone is careful to recommend her to other clients.

She managed to get her prints to perfection and color to the extreme, and even when she hired staff, she continued to proofread them herself, earning her a reputation for neatness.

She worked hard to make money, worked hard to socialize, and worked hard to live.

She faces her past calmly and never deliberately avoids others talking about her and her ex-husband, but when she talks about it, she is more regretful than painful.

Time is a good medicine, it will dilute the pain of life, and it will also reward those who work hard to live.

Five years later, Amy has her own office and business is booming.

She is no longer the woman she once was, who will only succumb to the back of men. She became a strong man with a successful career and admiration.

She sent her son to Cambridge to study, and accepted an invitation letter from high society for her daughter, so that they could grow up to be healthy and decent young adults.

When others talk about her ex-husband Strickland again, her attitude is: "If he really can't get by, I'm ready to help him a little." “

Between the words, there was a lot of relief.

There is a passage that says:

True happiness must not be given by others, but must have the ability to be happy and firmly grasp happiness in your own hands.

This kind of happiness really belongs to you, and no one can take it away.

We always hope that life will be smooth sailing, but more often than not, we have to face hurricanes and waves, and instead of expecting others to take the helm, we should accept that we are sailing.

There is no perfection in life, and there are twists and turns.

What matters is the attitude with which one looks at life.

Just like Amy, she relied on her husband for the first half of her life and dedicated herself to the family;In the second half of his life, he suddenly changed, picked up the burden of life alone, raised his children into talents, and achieved his own brilliant life.

She never felt sorry for herself, blaming everything on God's injustice;Instead, he worked hard to change himself, turned into a jumping note, integrated into the variation of life, and successfully played his own symphony.

Plum blossoms are never afraid of the cold winter, whether it is the wind blowing or the snow pressure, it can still bloom a touch of spring, giving the world a wisp of red fragrance.

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