Summary of "The Escape"

“The Escape” is a story revolving around two characters Roger Charing and Ruth
Barlow, about the love between two people. Roger Charing is described as a
strong, athletic, wealthy man who is wise, prudent and experienced. Yet he was
struck by lightning in love with Ruth Barlow - a widowed woman, with luscious,
sparkling black eyes and sentimental sentimentality that left most men defenseless.
Initially, the character "I" perceives her as a beautiful but unhappy woman: If she
gets married, he beats her; if she hires a broker, he deceives her; If she hires a
cook, he's always drunk. However, through the process of contact, the character "I"
realized that Ruth Barlow was a cunning, flippant person who only knew how to
rely on taking advantage of others. For Roger, she was a small, weak woman who
needed someone to take care of her. That was what prompted Roger to decide to
marry her. He is satisfied and happy with his decision. He introduced Barlow to all
his friends. He gave her beautiful jewelry, took her on trips around the world, and
announced that the wedding would be held soon. Suddenly one day, Roger has
discovered that he no longer loves Barlow. But he didn't want to get a bad
reputation as an unfaithful man, so he came up with a plan, that the two would hold
a wedding ceremony as soon as they found a suitable home. Although feelings
have changed, Roger still cares about Barlow, buying flowers and going to the
theater with her and acting like nothing happened. Agents sent Roger a list of
homes, and the two embarked on a home-searching journey. However, for two
years, they still couldn't find the house they wanted because Roger was always
dissatisfied with houses and Barlow was so impatient that she was bedridden. As
usual, Roger sent her regular letters of concern and persuaded her to patiently
continue looking for a home. But Barlow couldn't wait any longer and sent Roger a
letter saying she was going to marry someone else. Roger also sent back a letter
saying that he was very distressed and clinging to her but in fact he was very happy
now because he was finally free from Barlow.

The author's offensive pen

Under the pen of criticism, W.S. Maugham exposed contemporary society with its
perversions such as the worship of money, falsehood, self-interest, hypocrisy in the
way of human life. The two main characters in the story are Roger and Barlow.
They used to love each other, but they are willing to deceive each other to achieve
their own purposes. Barlow agrees to marry Roger because he is rich, can give her
a rich, happy life. Immediately after seeing that her love affair with Roger was
going nowhere, Barlow revealed her true nature and she finally had a change of
heart. And Roger, after realizing Barlow's inner nature, he tried to run away from
the upcoming marriage. In order not to be blamed for cheating on a woman and
letting Barlow let him go, Roger devised a brilliant plan surrounded by fake
deception. Thereby we see the nature of Roger, he turns her into a liar to control,
pull strings. Barlow thought she had tricked Roger into her bed, but she had no
idea that it was Roger who was cheating on her. Thus, neither Roger nor Barlow
are real with each other and with themselves. Even in conjugal love there is
deception and calculation.