I have always liked Maugham's novels, "The Moon and Sixpence", "The Shackles of Human Nature", "The Veil", "Blade" are all very good works, and even the great writer Zhang Ailing is very fond of reading Maugham, and the classic works that can stand the test of time have their own reasons for being popular for hundreds of years. Maugham's interpretation of human nature is thorough, and he can judge it from God's point of view, full of compassion.
After reading "Blade", the mood is complicated, and the characters in the book are very distinct, especially the three main female characters, whose different personalities have created different endings. It is the response to the saying that "character determines destiny", and of course, the vision and pattern of the characters themselves.
Isabel
I like Isabel in the book, as soon as she appears, she is the focus of the whole scene, lively and generous, not only radiant, witty and cheerful, but also knows how to enjoy life, and her cheerful personality is enough to infect others. Her gestures are naturally unpretentious, and in contrast, the people next to her look impatient and eclipsed.
She has a lover, Larry, who has an innate charm that Isabel will love infinitely. Looking at his eyes are full of love and attachment, when their eyes meet, Larry's eyes reveal tenderness, very beautiful. Like all little young love, simple and beautiful, people are envious.
This little couple seems to be a good match, but the reality is always unsatisfactory, Larry lost his life in the war because of his good friend, no longer has too much enthusiasm for life, and even does not have a serious job, which is undoubtedly a fantasy for Isabelle. Although she grew up with no worries, she can still intuitively think that money is very important, money symbolizes power and social status, men make money naturally, and life should have worked hard for it.
Isabelle said that even if Larry had no property, but had a job that paid three thousand a year, she would not hesitate to marry him, cook for him, make him a bed, and would not care what clothes he wore, and it didn't matter if she didn't have anything to wear. It would be taken as an interesting challenge, because everything was only temporary, and she believed that heaven rewarded hard work.
Isabelle is truly in love with Larry, she also plans for their future, she asked people to find a job for Larry, she hopes that they can live a happy life in peace and stability, but Larry wants a carefree, unfettered life, none of them can not obey anyone. He said that he wanted to go to the United States to live a free life, and she had thought about waiting for him to come back, but on the one hand, she loved Larry too much and did not want to interfere in his life, on the other hand, she would not give up her comfortable life for him, leaving home to live an unknown life in an unknown place.
So Isabelle finally chose Gray, a rich man with a rich family, and lived a quiet and good life with peace of mind.
Isabelle's uncle once said that Isabelle was married to the right Gray, and maybe in many years Isabelle would cheat on Larry, and Gray could also raise all kinds of mistresses and play each other. But he was wrong.
She was sober and understood early on that even if a girl loved someone again, she could not give up herself for love, and give up everything to accompany him to a strange city. She clearly knows what she wants, she gets it, she no longer wanders, the past let it pass, for Gray's love, she is also grateful, so take good care of the family, and strive to be a good mother and wife.
This reminds me of Sheng Minglan in "Do you know it or not, it should be green fat red skinny", her love with Qi Yu's little grandfather. As snowy as the mountains, as bright as the moon between the clouds, it is the white moonlight in the minds of many girls who have just opened their hearts. However, young love is vulnerable in the face of reality, in fact, Minglan began to wander and tangled, thinking about agreeing to the little grandfather, but in the end, under the guidance of his grandmother, he chose a more responsible Gu Tingye.
Most of Isabel's ideas come from the guidance of the elders around her, her uncle and mother, from a realistic point of view, analysis to her, so that she will not go wrong. Therefore, girls' concept of marriage must humbly consult the elders around them and listen to their opinions, although their words may sound worldly, but this is often the personal experience of the elders, and even the lessons of blood and tears.
It is impossible to imagine what the lively and proud Isabelle will look like after marrying Larry, nor can it imagine what Minglan will look like after marrying Qi's little grandfather, maybe it is a beautiful love that is only a chicken feather, which is why the prince and princess in "Andersen's Fairy Tales" end up "living happily together", and then there is no then.