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’s grandfather, a once irritable man, spent his retirement reading, carefully entertaining the opinions of others. He began to develop a new theory of the universe, which he held to be compatible with the teachings of the Church. In his view, God resides in the sun. Sunspots reveal God to men. As he is dying, Maurice’s grandfather tries to tell Maurice about the light within each person and the importance of kindness. Maurice wonders why he should be kind. For Clive’s sake? For God’s? He can no longer find a reason, though he also knows that Death—in the form of suicidal thoughts—like Love, only touched him for a second, that he will go on “playing the game,” even if he does not understand the reason.
The death of Maurice’s grandfather jolts Maurice out of the suicidal thoughts he has been having. But his decision not to take his own life doesn’t mean he enjoys living. He resigns himself to a life of loneliness and despair.
Themes
