摘要

威廉•萨默赛特•毛姆（1874—1965）是英国文学史上雅俗共赏、深受广大读者青睐的作家之一，同时也是我国读者比较熟悉的一位西方现代作家。毛姆一贯主张作家只有写自己的个人经历和亲身感受,作品才会有真实感,作家也才具有权威性。作品《人性的枷锁》是毛姆的代表作，带有明显的自传色彩。本文首先分析了主人公菲利普，从其跌宕坎坷的人生历程出发，展现了一个由极度自卑敏感逐步摆脱枷锁走向自由的人物形象。第二部分则选取了菲利普人生中最重要的三位女性进行分析，她们分别代表传统的家庭主妇，可悲的女恶魔和理想的妻子。通过对众多人物形象的分析，我们可以从不同的角度理解《人性的枷锁》中蕴含的深刻意义，了解到作者对人性刻画的真实以及对人类命运的深层关怀。

关键词：毛姆；人性的枷锁；菲利普；人物形象
 
Abstract

William Somerset Maugham(1847—1965)was one of the commonly appreciated writers in British literature, and also a western writer familiar to readers in our country. He always maintained that the work has authenticity only if the writer writes down his personal experience, which in turn makes himself authoritative. Of Human Bondage is Maugham’s masterpiece, which is considered as his semi-autobiography. The thesis analyzes the main character, Philip, who goes through the deep inferiority complex as well as strong sensitivity, gradually gets rid of bondages and finally gains the freedom. In the second part of the thesis, it discusses the three most important women in Philip’s life, who respectively represent traditional housewife, pathetic she-devil and ideal wife. Through the analysis of these characters, we can better understand the profound meaning implied in this novel from different perspectives, and comprehend Maugham’s real description of humanity and his deep concern for the destiny of mankind.

Key word: Maugham; of human bondage; Philip; images of characters
 
1    Introduction
1.1    William Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest paid author during the 1930s. In spite of his popularity and international fame, Maugham did not receive critical attention for his fiction in Britain. Expressing his frustration with the situation, Maugham wrote in his autobiography The Summing Up (1976), that he stood in the very first row of the second raters. Maugham’s skill in handling plot has been compared with the manner of Guy de Maupassant. His stories are told in clear, economical style with cynical or resigned undertone.