Стилистический разбор The Happy Man Сомерсета Моэма

The Happy Man

   I. The novel is entitled “The Happy Man”, it was written by Somerset Maugham, a well-known English writer. He was born on 25 of January in 1874, he was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was one of the most popular writers of his time.

II. Major characters: The main characters of  the story are the narrator (round) and Stephens (flat character)

     Minor characters: the second wife of Stephens

III. Conflicts: internal, between the society and Stephen

    Motivation of characters: internal force (the desire to change his life) affected Stephans     behavior.

      Direct characters: none

      Indirect characters: The method of character’s portrayed is indirect. The author didn’t comment upon the person ages, the author made them act, speak and let the reader judge for himself

IV. Plot  At the beginning of the story the author tells us that the narrator didn’t like to give advices. The narrator thought about life and showed his attitude to the whole life. He said  that he didn’t know anything of others. But then the narrator remembered that once he had advised well. Once a man, a total stranger, came to him and ask him for a piece of advice. He wanted to know if he would have any chance to have a job in Spain. The narrator said that if he wasn’t worried about money, he would be success.

15 years later the narrator happened to be in Servile. He had some in disposition and went to an English doctor. It turned out that this doctor was Stephens. He was happy in Spain. And thanked the narrator a lot. The narrator was an intelligent, clever and bright. We can judge by his way of narration, speech. He was a doctor but didn’t practice. And first of all he was a writer. He was an experienced person, philosopher and good psychologist, because he could say for sure who the man was and what life was. He thought a lot about life and tried to understand the value of life. ‘And life is something that you can lead but once…’ He is responsible man.

Stephens was a little man, thick-set, stout. He had a round face, small dark bright eyes. He had black hair. There was nothing special in Stephens’s appearance but eyes. As we know eyes are the mirror of the soul. And judging by his bright eyes, there was some distinction in him. He was open-hearted, because he came to the strange man to ask the piece of advice. From the way he dressed ‘he was dressed in a blue suit a good deal the worse for wear. It was baggy at the knees and the pockets budget untidily’. He didn’t care what he looked like. So, he wasn’t a pragmatic person. He was emotional. He was very excited when he came to the narrator, he had some difficulty in lighting a cigarette without letting go off the hat. He was romantic, because he wanted to live in Spain. In the beginning the readers see him as an unhappy man in England and in the end a happy man in Spain. The author showed the appearance of Stephens by cursory glance, eyes flashed, forcible ring, fleshy face etc.

V. 1)Third person ---

     2)First person – the author is a participant. Maugham wrote from the first person, it is made the reader believe that this is a real story, and it is made the narration closer to the reader and more intimate.

VI. Time – no descriptions

 Social environment conservative England, free Spain

Atmosphere In the beginning the readers see Stephens as an unhappy man in England and in the end a happy man in Spain.

Style The style is full of stylistic devices. It helps the readers to get the main idea and be interested what images are represented. So the author used such stylistic devices as:

• Onomatopoeia – “he murmured”
• Graphon – CARMEN (italics)
• Rhetorical question: “… how can one advise another how to act unless oneknows that other as well as one knows oneself?”
• Framing: “He asked me my name; I told him. He asked if he might come in.”
• Parallel syntactical constructions such as: 'I was brought up by two old aunts. I've never been anywhere. I've never doneanything. I've been married for six years. I have no children. I'm a medical officer at the Camberwell Infirmary. I can't stick it any more.' ‘'I was wondering if I'd ever see you again,' he said, 'I was wondering if ever I'dhave a chance of thanking you for all you've done for me.'
• Methaphor: ‘a prisoner in solitary tower’, ‘dark cloak of Destiny’,” finger of fate”
• Epithets: cursory  glance, forcible ring, modest apartment, perfect stranger, squeamish patient, delightful creature, bacchanalian smile
• Hyperbole: “The words were hardly out of his mouth”,
• Antithesis: ‘Stephens’s salary was pretty good, but his clothes where shabby’, in the beginning he was an unhappy man and in the end he was a happy one, Spain – is full of emotions, freedom, romantic, and England is conservative.
• Simile: “He looked to me as though he knew a good bottle ofwine when he saw it.’

 Tone sympathetic and serious

Irony situational

VII.Theme (message to the reader) The central idea is not stated directly in the text. Happiness is something that you can achieve only by yourself. And Stephens proved it.

The narrator shows the readers his attitude towards life, thinks about the value of life. Hyperbole ‘I wouldn’t exchange the life. I’ve had with that of any king in the world’ is used to show that Stephens was very happy and wasn’t concerned about material things. So, also in the story there is an inversion and repetition ‘Poor I have been and poor I always be’.

VIII Symbolism Carmen  - a symbol of  Spain, of freedom