The Analysis of the Escape by W.S. Maugham free essay sample

The story under the title â€Å"The Escape† was written by one of the outstanding English writers – William Somerset Maugham. The plot of the story is quite simple, though interesting. The protagonist of the story, a young man rolling in money – Roger Charing – fell in love with Ruth Barlow, an unfortunate woman who was twice a widow. They had all the happy and pleasant moments of relationships a loving couple usually has and intended to marry. Then suddenly Roger fell out of love with Ruth. But he found a way to make Ruth release him. He said they would marry the day they found the perfect house for both of them, however, Roger rejected all the orders of the agents offering a new house. At last Ruth lost her patience and left Roger herself. So, the problem addressed in the story lies in the relationships of man and woman, in the way they get over the quandaries, in the way they treat each other. We will write a custom essay sample on The Analysis of the Escape by W.S. Maugham or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page And I believe this problem is rather vital nowadays as many families divorce because they don’t know how to overcome hardships they face. The controlling idea of the story is that one should put on his thinking and act very carefully, as sometimes procrastination can give better results than haste. The same we see in the story. Roger wasn’t hurrying to inform Ruth in his calmness to her, vice versa he kept on taking care of her not even presenting her any signs to doubt in his love. At the same time he didn’t let the agents stop searching the house, trying Ruth’s patience. The repetition used by the author prove non-interest of Roger to all offers: â€Å"Sometimes they were too large and sometimes they were too small, sometimes they were too far from the centre of the things and sometimes they were too close; sometimes they were too expensive and sometimes they wanted too many repairs; sometimes they were too stuffy and sometimes they were too airy; sometimes they were too dark and sometimes they were too bleak†. The Analysis Of The Escape By W. s. Maugham Analysis of the short story â€Å"The Escape† by William Somerset Maugham. I`d like to reflect upon the short-story under the title  «The Escape†, written by one of the best known English writers of 20th century – William Somerset Maugham. He was not only a short-story writer, but also one of the most successful dramatists and novelists. His reputation as a novelist is based on the following prominent books: â€Å"Of Human Bondage†; â€Å"The Moon and Sixpence†; and â€Å"The Razors Edge†, â€Å"Cakes and Ale†, etc. Maughams novels and short stories could be characterized by great narrative facility, an ironic point of view and an astonishing understanding of human nature. In his works realistic reflection of life, keen character descriptions, and interesting plots are combined with beautiful, expressive language and a simple, clear, style. I think, that the beginning of the story serves as its subject matter, where the author recounts his point of view on the marriage. He convinces us that if a woman once made her mind to marry a man nothing but instant flight could save him. As an example he told a case, which happened with one of his friends, who seeing the inevitable marriage menacing before him, took ship and spent a year traveling round the world. He hoped the woman would forget him, but was mistaken. When he got back thinking himself safe, the woman, from whom he had fled, was waiting for him on the quay. This funny thing supports the idea that the inevitable loom of the marriage frightens some men and they try to avoid it. It should be mentioned, that he describes that awkward situation very skillfully and in a very ironical way. It could be confirmed by some cases of irony, used by the narrator – â€Å"instant flight† and â€Å"inevitable loom menacing before him†, â€Å" escaped with only a toothbrush for all his luggage†, which show us fear and trembling of men before the difficulties of the marriage. And through these stylistic devices we feel the author’s humorous tone, which h The escape and The luncheon, both describes grieving experience of men towards women. The narrator of the former recites how his friend, Roger Charing, tries to get rid of a woman, Ruth Barlow. The author of the later reflects his own experience with a woman using her well-laid traps to make him fulfill her luxurious demands. Since these events are anything but pleasant and memorable, the author expresses his severe criticism towards women. The story begins with a funny anecdote, stating that If a woman once made up her mind to marry a man, nothing but instant flight could save him. Faulkner describes marriage as the inevitable loom menacingly before men or danger that urges men to perform an immediate action. This suggests his negative attitudes towards marriage and, more importantly, expresses the difference of men and women in love. Men are not marrying creatures while women usually expect to lead a love affair to marriage. Ruth Barlow is characterized by a gift: a gift for pathos. Her sympathetic appearance, splendid dark eyes and they were the most moving I ever saw, they seemed to be ever on the point of filling with tears, conspires with a pitiful background, twice a widow, to render Ruth the vulnerability, which strips men off their usual sensibility. Though appearing as naive and harmless, Ruth is led to gradually reveal her true character. Despite the absolute sympathy Roger has towards her, the narrator perceive her as stupid, scheming and unemotional. Her cheating on the card game and overlooking to pay the money she lost expose her dishonesty and affected manners. Ruth is a dull and narrow-minded woman, as she had never had any conversation. Faulkners repetitive description about her eyes: splendid dark eyes, the most moving eyes, big ad lovely eyes makes an impression that other than the pathetic look, this woman is a hollow. The turning-point of this story is when Roger, out of the blue, falls out of love with Ruth. His ingenious (and somewhat artificial) effort to run away from that happy ending contributes to unveil Ruths fake personality. The seemingly endless hunt for a suitable house turns the adorably looking Ruth to a silent and scornful woman with sullen eyes. She finally gives up her patience of an angel, breaks up with Roger and rushes herself into an instant marriage with someone who is anxious to take care of me. This uncommon situation confirms the narrators judgment on women as fickle at the beginning of this story. It is about a man (Roger) and a woman (Ruth), their complicated relations and scheming in order to achieve different aims. So they are the main characters. The author hides behind the narrator who is the secondary character. The essence of â€Å"The Escape†, to my mind, is that Roger and Ruth have diverse approaches towards the relations. Of course, the men and the women like the first step: flowers, attentiveness, passion. But then their paths diverge. The romance disappears, the man looks for the way out, he craves for new emotions, but the woman deems that the relations should develop into the marriage. And â€Å"The Escape† is the example of such a mismatch. From the very beginning the narrator convinces us that if a woman