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 reaches Penge three days before the Park v. Village cricket match. He has been thinking of the hypnotist. Might it not be better to “alter his temperament and toe the line,” Maurice wonders. Maurice and Anne, finding themselves alone at first, talk politics. Anne tells Maurice that Clive is canvassing. Anne says that Clive has decided to run in a local election and that it will be “a wonderful thing for the poor” if he is elected. Maurice says, “I’ve had to do with the poor too… but I can’t worry over them. One must give them a leg up for the sake of the country generally, that’s all.” When Clive arrives, they continue to talk about politics and evince their beliefs that radicals are dishonest and socialists insane.
In this chapter, the novel presents Clive as a foil to Maurice. While Maurice wonders if he should change who he is and “toe the line,” he travels to Penge and sees Clive for the first time since their breakup. Clive has done just what Maurice is considering; he has altered his temperament and accepted the restrictions of heteronormativity, marrying Anne and inheriting Penge along the way. Seeing Clive in this context gives Maurice a glimpse into a possible future where he has followed the same path as Clive to avoid upsetting the status quo.
Themes
