The narrator later travels to Tahiti and learns that Strickland spent some enjoyable time there, painting and starting a family with a local woman, before contracting leprosy and dying. Strove returns to his family in Holland and the narrator claims to be entirely finished with Strickland. Strickland then breaks things off with her and she commits suicide, leaving Strove entirely in despair. Strickland is entirely ungrateful and runs off with Strove's wife. Strove takes Strickland to his home and helps him recover. The three spend time together in Paris.Īfter not hearing from Strickland for a time, Strove and the narrator discover he has become extremely sick. Strove's wife also reveals that Strickland is frequently rude to Strove and says derisive things about his work.

Strove says he knows Strickland and thinks he is exceptionally talented. The two cross paths again years later when the narrator meets his old friend Dirk Strove, a kind man and mediocre painter. The narrator is repulsed by Strickland's callousness, but secretly admires his determination. The narrator finds Strickland and tries to convince him to return, but he appears entirely unaffected by societal perception of his behavior. Everyone, including the narrator, is horrified by the cold cruelty of his actions.

He moves to Paris and leaves a terse note explaining what he has done. The novel begins with Strickland abruptly leaving his wife and children to pursue painting full-time.

The fictional character of Strickland is widely considered to have been inspired by the biography of Impressionist painter Paul Gaugin. The novel is written from the first-person perspective of an unnamed young writer who spends time with Strickland in London and Paris and then travels to Tahiti to learn about the final years of Strickland's life. The novel follows the life of Charles Strickland, a businessman who devotes the remainder of his life to painting in an effort to become a great artist. The Moon and Sixpence is a novel by critically celebrated British writer W.

Maugham the moon and sixpence