1919, Maugham created the classic novel "The Moon and Sixpence" based on the life of French painter Paul Gauguin . Once this book was published, it immediately caused a sensation.
The book tells the story of the protagonist Charles Strickland, a securities broker who has a successful career and a happy family. He suddenly gave up his original life when he was middle-aged, abandoned his wife and children, ran away from home, and pursued his dreams in his heart.
When I first read, in addition to being moved by the protagonist's courage and persistence in pursuing his dreams, I was also the protagonist's ex-wife, Amy.
A full-time housewife who has been at home for seventeen years suddenly left. Her husband suddenly left. Her previous comfortable life was broken in an instant. Amy did not fall into a slump about this, but after understanding the reason, she accepted it calmly and faced it bravely.
In the end, she not only achieved success in her career, but also raised her children into talents.
Now, I reread the classics, which lacks the impulse of the past and the rationality of life; I block the glory of art and understand the sharpness of reality, and only then did I realize that Amy's successful life had a foreshadowing.
Don't panic when it comes to things, think carefully
Amy came from a diplomat family. She received a good education since childhood, had a good appearance and decent behavior, and also developed her calm and quiet personality.
While on vacation at the beach, Amy, who was in love and moved, met Charles, a handsome securities broker. The two soon fell in love and got married.
After marriage, Amy has the hall and the kitchen, not only keeping their small home in an orderly manner, but also getting along well with her neighbors and friends.
However, facing such a nearly perfect wife, Mr. Strickland suddenly said goodbye. That day, it had been seventeen years since they got married.
Seventeen years of marriage, at this moment, it collapsed like a house of cards.
Things happened suddenly, and there was no warning before.
If it were someone else, he had no source of income, and the full-time housewife who had three meals a day would have been at a loss and was on the verge of collapse.
But at this time, Amy was worried about her husband's safety, but she calmed down and thought about how to find her husband.
Women in that era were considered to be a loss of identity when they appeared in public. Especially the elegant woman who was a member of the aristocratic class like Amy.
Therefore, Amy's brother-in-law, Colonel Andrew, decided to search for Charles in place of Amy.
Amy, after careful consideration, rejected her brother-in-law and instead entrust her husband's friend to act as a lobbyist and go to persuade her.
The reason for this choice is because my brother-in-law has a bad temper on weekdays and has many disagreements with her husband.
And Amy just hopes that Charles can go home, not to seek a crime. In comparison, friends are more suitable than brother-in-law.
I have to say that Amy is indeed a woman who is not panicked and thoughtful when encountering problems.
Ancient saying goes: "Water is extremely quiet, the image is clear; people are extremely quiet, wisdom is born."
Life is not always smooth, there are always winds and waves coming quietly without realizing it.
Instead of panic and complaining, it is better to calm yourself down first.
Although we cannot control the occurrence of things, we can stabilize our emotions.
Don’t panic when encountering things and think about changes in quietness, so that you can turn the tables against the wind and survive in a desperate situation.
Know how to let go, and when it is broken, it is broken
Amy's friend quickly brought back the news from Charles - the prodigal son mentioned by others did not cheat at all, and he ran away from home just to draw.
Because drawing has always been his ideal.
He became a securities broker step by step, and the normal life of getting married and having children is a vulgar 6p for him; drawing is the moon that will never fall in his heart.
Now he wants to abandon the sixpence in his hand and pursue his moon.
Facing his wife's attitude of seeking husband from thousands of miles away, Charles's answer is - never go back.
My friend tried to play the emotional card and advised Charles to think about his wife's pain.
Charles said coldly: "I don't have her anymore in my heart!"
is so numb and terrifying.
Despite this, my friend still wants to make the final attempt: "You should always think of your children. If you let go of this, they will have to live on the streets."
Charles said that his children "have been enjoying happiness for so many years, and most children do not have such blessings." All this is enough, and they should not ask for anything anymore.
Friend who returned to the rescue will tell Amy about Charles' attitude.
The sister and brother-in-law who once advised Amy to divorce believed that this was just a whim Charles had on his face and he couldn't hold on for long and would go home sooner or later.
Amy said bluntly: "I don't want him to come back."
Like a thunder resounding in the clear sky, Amy's decision that seemed to be cloudy shocked everyone.
In fact, Amy's choice at this moment is not about being extremely angry or hated, but about more than ten years of hard work. She has understood it. A man who abandons everything like her husband and only pursues himself is not worth redeeming.
Charles' shameless remarks undoubtedly became the last straw that broke Amy's back, and her only hope for her husband was also shattered, and she decisively divorced her husband.
In life, there are some things that you should let go if you can’t keep.
Even if you force it to keep it, it will be a futile struggle in the end.
As the saying goes, "When you keep breaking, you will be in trouble."
What happened later is enough to prove that Charles' selfishness has reached an outrageous level.
After divorced Amy, Charles met his lover Blanche. The latter was not only considerate to him, but also in order to inspire Charles' creative inspiration, he did not hesitate to use himself as a nude model for him to paint.
Unexpectedly, after the painting was completed, Blanche, who was crazy about love, was cruelly driven away by Charles, and finally committed suicide by taking oxalic acid.
Extremely selfish people are filled with indifference in their hearts. No matter how much you compromise and selfless dedicate, you will not get a trace of mercy.
If Amy chose to endure blindly and not give up, then Blanche's ending may not be another life for Amy.
Poor Blanche makes people "sad for his misfortune and angry at his failure to fight"; but Amy's future confirms the sentence:
"Give up does not mean losing, because only by giving up will there be another gain."
Only when facing it calmly can you survive in a desperate situation
Amy was separated from her husband, nothing.At that time, she was like a lonely boat floating in the air, always under the threat of subversion.
Although the court would rule that Mr. Strickland would pay alimony at that time, he was already poor and penniless at that time. He himself has to rely on his friends to help him, so how can he talk about paying alimony?
Amy at this time had to make a living. However, for a full-time housewife who has been married for seventeen years, it is not easy.
In order to raise money, Amy sold the furniture and rented the house. He rented two small houses in the suburbs and settled them temporarily.
In that era, women in the workplace were not widely recognized by the world, let alone divorced women.
Amy, who could not find a job, finally chose to start her own business.
She urgently learns shorthand and typing, and uses her own stories to attract customers.
Because she received a good education and was also because she had loved reading and was willing to make friends with literati and scholars, so she made rapid progress.
She has a good relationship with her friends, and everyone is also paying attention to recommending her to other customers.
She tried every means to perfect the print manuscript and apply the colors to the extreme. Even though she hired employees later, she still insisted on proofreading herself and won a good reputation for neat manuscripts.
She works hard to make money, socialize and live.
She faced her past calmly and never deliberately avoided others talking about her and her ex-husband, but when she talked about it, she was more regretful than pain.
Time is a good medicine that will dilute the pain of life and will also repay those who work hard to live.
Five years later, Amy already has her own office and her business is booming.
She is no longer the woman who once was, she only has the ability to fall behind men. She became a powerful man with a successful career and admirable career.
She sent her son to Cambridge to study and accepted invitations from the upper class for her daughter, so that they could grow into healthy and decent young people.
When someone talked about his ex-husband Strickland again, her attitude was: "If he really can't survive, I'm going to help him a little."
The words were full of relief.
There is a passage saying:
True happiness must not be given by others, but must have the ability to be happy and hold happiness firmly in your own hands.
Happiness like this really belongs to you and no one can take it away.
Life is a big proposition, full of unknowns and helplessness; perhaps at some point, fate wraps you up in a storm, you are forced to accept everything, but you have to rely on yourself to go out.
We always hope that life will be smooth, but more often, we have to face the rapid waves of hurricane . Instead of expecting others to take the helm, it is better to accept ourselves to set sail.
Life is without perfection, and twists and turns are also scenery.
What is important is a person's attitude towards life.
Just like Amy, she relied on her husband in the first half of her life and dedicated herself to her family; she suffered sudden changes in the second half of her life, took on the burden of life alone, raised her children into a talent, and also made her brilliant life.
She never complained about herself and blamed everything on the injustice of God; instead, she tried to change herself, turned into a jumping note, integrated into this variation of life, and successfully played her own symphony .
Plum blossoms are never afraid of the bitter cold winter. Whether it is the wind or the snow, they can still bloom with a touch of spring, giving the world a ray of red fragrance.
Author | Tian Li, because of his love, he insists on making friends with books and writing with his pen.
Image | Visual China, the Internet (If there is any infringement, please contact us to delete it)
