Alsaad, 1

Somerset Maughams use of Free Indirect Speech for showing Emotions and Life Lessons

Having served in Red Cross and worked in secret service agency of Britain Maugham

travelled around the world, had diverse experience and attain greater understanding of human

nature. Because of his travels to Russia, India, Switzerland and South East Asia, the

cosmopolitan settings in his stories and the use of different natures and discourses in his

creations, provided versatility and depth to the characters of his stories. Being born in Paris in

1874, and later went to London and became a doctor in 1897. In the same year he wrote his first

novel, Liza of Lambeth, and he presented about this experiences as obstetrician.

Although little, but encouragement in literatures triggered him to leave medicine and by

1908 in London, four of his plays were in run simultaneously, thus bringing him prosperity

(biography). In First World War he served as secret agent and later returned and resumed his

original love for literature and settled permanently in France. He wrote many n9vels and books

and these books also reflect his own experiences of life in them. Human Bandage tells about the

life of a young medical students who slowly progress towards mature life, The Moon and

Sixpence is based on his visits and experiences at islands of Tahiti and The Razor Edge

represents the life of an American war Veteran, which works hard to adjust in life and find

means to do so (The-British-Empire).

Although he gained a lot of popularity because of his plays, but the short stories that he

has written were the one that brought different dimensions to his work. He made use of different

discourses to explain the feelings and difficulties of humans especially the Europeans when they

have to settle in different environment and present them in a different way. He was an expert in

explaining human emotions especially ambition, greed and the human relationship made them

seem real to his readers (The-British-Empire). This paper is the analysis of how Maugham has
 Alsaad, 2

affectively made use of free indirect speech, literary phenomena, to give different effect to his

creation Red and how human feelings are being depicted be it.

The story Red circumvents around the life of three main character Red, Sally and Neilson

and like in most f his stories there is a person who narrates the story, as a third person, an

analyzes lives of other, in this story that character is Neilson, who later married Sally in story.

the plot of story comprises of many phases and in the beginning of story skipper come to islands

and Neilson meets with him and narrates the love story in which Red and Sally are main

character. he recounts their love for each other and then Red leaving the islands for many years.

When Skipper came to Neilson once they got acquainted, Nelson asks him about the man name

red which he might know and explains, I never knew him personally. I never even set eyes on

him. And yet I seem to see him more clearly , with whom I passed my daily life for many

years (Maugham). While telling skipper about story of Red and Sally in such a manner that he

might had known Red personally.

After Red left Islands, Neilson marred Sally, but she always spent all her time in

recounting the days with Red and waiting for him in blue moon. He explained to the beauty and

handsome personality of Red in such a manner, that he go to know from acquaintances of Red, in

such a manner the he might have known him personally. Explaining about the love of Red and

Sally for One another Neilson explained to skipper that If you had asked them I have no doubt

that they would have thought it impossible to suppose their love could ever cease (Maugham).

The third person is used to explain love of sally an Red and explained in such a manner that a

sensitive viewer is examining the little details of their lives and narrating them to convey all the

meaning and essence to skipper. while Neilson was narrating the excellence and the beauty of the

story of love of Red and Sally, the conversation made him suspicious of man and upon asking
 Alsaad, 3

question skipper reported that he is a person who was called Red thirty years ago. And later he

went to his wife Sally, and realize that he has actually wasted so many years of life, loving a

woman when has nothing, but, contempt when she looked at him and decided to leave Island

for indefinite period of time.

Free indirect speech has been used by Maugham to address internal monologues, internal

reflections, stream of consciousness and internal dialogues to recount the story of Red and

Sallys love. There has been excessive use of free indirect speech in story with which he has

Neilson kept separate from story of Sally and Red, in spite of being important part of it. The use

of Neilson of free indirect speech while explaining the personality of Red to skipper, he used the

words, He was tall, six feet and an inch or two. and he was made like a Greek god, broad in

the shoulders and thin in the flanks; he was like Apollo (Maugham). This speech has been used

as the tool to explain personality of Red which also makes reader wonder that Neilson is jealous

of the personality of Red or showing admiration towards it. The powerful use of free indirect

speech has helped the reader to understand the point of view of narrator and how he has been

successful in sending the message. While telling Sally on leaving Island to visit his brother

Neilson had a monologue that, He wondered why he had ever loved her so madly. He had laid

at her feet all the treasures of his soul, and she had cared nothing for them. Waste, what waste!

(Maugham).

Moreover, when Neilson discovered that skipper was actually Red , the writer used the

words, he sank heavily in his chair. Was that the man who had prevented him from being

happy? (Maugham), help to understand stream of consciousness of Neilson, i.e. he has not made

a decision yet, but, he was assessing the present situation. He has dot realized that this thought

about Red was one that would compel him to make decision to leave island for indefinite time.
 Alsaad, 4

These tell about the actual feelings of character after all that has happened with him and he had

met in actual. He believed that love of Red and Sally for each other was like the love of Adam

and Eve with each other, but when Red in spite of knowing that Sally waited for him all these

years, it made him realizes that he has wasted all his life for finding g the love that actually does

not exist. Free indirect speech use is really powerful in story in which he has explained stream of

consciousness, internal feelings and monologues of narrator. These are not the only factors

which have helped to explain everything he also provides some of his lessons of life using this

discourse.

This discourse is used to help reader understand the actual meaning of life and at least the

lesions that writer has actually derived from it. The tragedy of love is not death or separation.

.. The tragedy of love is indifference (Maugham). This is the conclusion that Maugham ahas

derievedhimself and is refected in the thoughts or monologue of Neilson. In thsi story he might

have exlaine what he has observed all his life or he has actually felt about love. in the story he

has taken shape of a philosopher, who is presenting his thoughts and ideals before people and tell

them about bitter realities of life (Tashiro). When he explained how he saw Sally, Neilson

accounted the situation as, And then all about were the coconut trees, as fanciful as women, and

as vain, this might help to learn about the views of Maugham about women. Maugham made use

of one of his characters to tell about the opinion about women and this opinion is later reflected

in story when, Waste, what waste! And now, when he looked at her, he felt only contempt

(Maugham). These are the views of narrator and the words chosen by the writer to explain his

thoughts about women.

Maugham helped to explain that all the years that narrator has spent in loving the woman

was in vain because even upon listening that his loving husband was leaving him, she could not
 Alsaad, 5

how any interest and his first conclusion about woman and love for them being vain was the

accurate one and the lesson that one learns from the lives of others and for the experiences one

has gained in life. (Tashiro)

Maugham has made effective use of free indirect speech to make sure that he has

explained feelings of characters and his views of life, by using this discourse and making them

effective with the use of monologue, indirect speech, and stream of conscious and internal

reflection. Red is not the only story of Maugham in which he has used this discourse, but this has

been really effective in making this storying a success.

 Alsaad, 6

Bibliography
biography. "Somerset Maugham." 02 April 2014. biography.
<http://www.biography.com/people/somerset-maugham-9402985>.

chils27. "Red By W. Somerset Maugham." 28 September 2015. Just My Simple Life.

<https://chils27.wordpress.com/2015/09/28/red-by-w-somerset-maugham/>.

Maugham, W. Somerset. The Trembling of a Leaf Little Stories of the South Sea Islands. eBook:
Project Gutengerg, 2008.

Tashiro, Tsuya. "An Essay on Red by Somerset Maugham." 20 March 1972. Chugokugakuen
Repository. <cur-ren.cjc.ac.jp/file/151/20100226083433/J03_041_048.pdf>.

The-British-Empire. "Somerset Maugham." n.d. The British Empire.

<http://www.britishempire.co.uk/biography/maugham.htm>.