In Bondage over Of Human Bondage?

I apologize for the tardiness of this post- it has been long promised, but only now realized. Joel, and any of you who have not read Of Human Bondage, you may want to skip this post. Many of my thoughts concerning Of Human Bondage have faded with time, and my fresh dislike of the book has dulled as well. I think I have begun to appreciate Mr. Maugham's eloquent articulation of his worldview.

Philip, when he at last captures the meaning of the Persian rug, discovers that "Life had no meaning. . . Philip exulted, as he had exulted in his boyhood when the weight of a belief in God was lifted from his shoulders; it seemed to him that the last burden of responsibility was taken from him; and for the first time he was utterly free. His insignificance was turned to power, and he felt himself suddenly equal with the cruel fate which had seemed to persecute him; for if life was meaningless, the world was robbed of its cruelty." Maugham seems to write a story consistent to this worldview- Philip's life is pretty hopeless and cruel. It is only after Philip realizes this that he is able to be happy. Unfortunately, it takes a while for him to come to this revelation, and we have to read about him making a lot of stupid mistakes in the meantime.

Throughout the entire story, I was hoping Philip would begin to be reasonable and see the logic in the Christian worldview that permeates his life. I see now that was a little naive. I was hoping somehow that he would be able to redeem some of the poor choices he had made in his life, and that he would become a more attractive person. And while he was making better choices near the end of the book, he didn't change enough to satisfy me. But I now realize that even though I disliked Philip as a person, it doesn't mean I should dismiss the entire book. Perhaps the next time I read a novel by Mr. Maugham, I'll be better prepared for his depressing view of the world and I'll be able to appreciate his talent as a writer.