"The Painted Veil"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how "The Painted Veil" (1925) is a novel that addresses philosophical notions such as religion and finding true peace, as much as it is about the life and mistakes of Kitty Fane. The paper explains that the book reveals the often feckless nature of modern society, which tends to place significance and value on factors such as beauty, wealth, and status, rather than on what it good and sincere. The paper also looks at how, through contrasting the glittery world of the elite and the suffering of those who are sick and poor, the book portrays the way in which values and duty are often discarded and replaced by a shallowness that is rooted in the materialistic nature of Western society.

Outline:
Introduction
Variations on a Theme
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Kitty Fane has been raised by a domineering mother whose only ambition for her daughters is to ensure them making a successful marriage. Kitty; who is a ravishing beauty, but also shallow and selfish, has already turned down several marriage proposals when she decides to marry Walter Fane in order to ensure that she is married before her younger sister. Her world, therefore, reflects the same notions of the mother from whom she longs to escape, thus seeing marriage as a stepping stone into freedom and security, rather than as a match between two people who love each other. As such, she marries the intellectual and drab Walter, subsequently traveling with him to Hong Kong, where he is "doing the empire's work looking for Eastern germs" (Seal, 2009). Nevertheless, the unhappy state of her marriage soon leads her into an affair with a married man, subsequently leading Walter give her an ultimatum - she must either accompany him into inland China where cholera has broken out, thus risking death, or face the scandal of a divorce."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Seal, Andrew (2009). Online article: "The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham." Retrieved 04/14/2009 from:< http://21stcenturylit.com/02/the-painted-veil-by-w-somerset-maugham/>

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