The Moon and Sixpence

The Moon and Sixpence, written by W. Somerset Maugham and based on the life of Paul Gauguin, is a tribute to the compelling factors that inspire creative brilliance.A wealthy and privileged banker, Charles Strickland is a stodgy individual. He is a man with an insatiable need for artistic expression. Strickland departs London for Paris and Tahiti to follow his creative vision, making sacrifices along the way that irreparably damage the lives of those closest to him. Strickland's wounded and vicious spirit is shown by Maugham as a metaphor of the blessing and the curse of transcendent artistic brilliance, as well as the price it can occasionally exact on human lives.