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Chapter 40
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Of Human Bondage, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Maturation and Finding Purpose
Marriage and Family
Religion and Belief
Poverty and Injustice
Summary
Analysis
Later in the day, Philip wanders down the Boulevard du Montparnasse and runs into Miss Price sitting alone on a bench. Philip asks to sit next to Miss Price. She tells him about how Clutton fancies himself a genius but is too lazy to ever be good. Miss Price invites Philip to sketch classes that run from 5:00 to 6:00 for a low price. Philip isn’t sure whether Miss Price wants him to accompany her, so he lets her go first, then awkwardly follows later.
Philip’s awkward first conversations with Miss Price bear some resemblance to his first conversations with Miss Wilkinson. In both cases, Philip is more concerned about being likeable than he is about being himself. Miss Price says Clutton is too lazy to ever be a good artist, and while that may be true, it also hints at Miss Price’s incorrect belief that diligent hard work alone will lead to good art.
Active
Themes
Literary Devices
At the class, Philip realizes that he can’t sketch as well as he thought he could. Afterward, he wants to do something characteristically French, so he tries absinthe. He then goes to meet with Clutton again at the same restaurant, where he again listens to the art opinions of all Clutton’s friends. They argue in particular about Manet’s Olympia before moving on to other paintings, then poets and authors.
Active
Themes
Literary Devices
