Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Maurice, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Love and Sacrifice
Sexual Orientation, Homophobia, and Self-Acceptance
Masculinity and Patriarchy
Religion
Class
Summary
Analysis
Maurice writes to Clive that he received his letter and has taken it to mean that he cannot love someone of his same sex any longer. He urges Clive to come back to England at once. Clive shakes his head when he reads the letter. He does not love Maurice anymore, he thinks, and he will have to spell it out plainly.
Maurice (like, perhaps, the reader) finds it difficult to believe that Clive has lost all interest in not just him but all men overnight. He insists that Clive return to England at once, but he is not appealing to the Clive who loves him—rather, he’s apparently appealing to a Clive who has chosen to renounce their relationship in favor of the path of least resistance.
Themes
