2。 Art in Strickland’ s Life

2。1 Life in London

  In this novel, the first person the narrator is introduced to is Mrs。 Strickland but not Mr Strickland, which is, in my opinion, a little strange because generally a guest is introduced to the man of the house firstly。 But that exactly shows us the life of Strickland when he is in London。 There is a conversation about Strickland between the narrator and Rose Waterford after the narrator meets Mrs。 Strickland, and what Rose Waterford thinks of Strickland is that “he is something in the city。 I believe he is a stockbroker。 He is very dull。 He is very quite。 He is not in the least interested in literature in the arts”。 On the other hand, in the narrator’ s eyes, Mrs。 Strickland has a pleasant gift for keeping the conversation general, and she can throw in just the right remark to set it going once more when there is a pause, and Rose Waterford also says that Mrs。 Strickland wants to be in the movement which indicates that she is a woman pursuing the satisfaction of spiritual world。 From their sharp contrast, no one cannot find that Strickland is a man having nothing to do with art when he is in London。 Mrs。 Strickland holds parties in the house frequently but Strickland hardly ever comes to the parties。 It seems that he is only interested in earning money to provide for family and indifferent to anything about literature or art。 Only after you get along with a person for a long time can you say you really know him。 Otherwise, what you see may be just his outward appearance and too shadowy to convince others。 Thus as the wife, Mrs。 Strickland should be the one knows Strickland best。 And in her eyes, her husband is a perfect philistine who would bore people to death。 Everyone’ s judgment to Strickland has striking similarities。

  The first time the narrator meets Strickland is in the party。 At that time, Strickland is a man of few words and not leaves a deep impression to others。 The only topic he talks with others is about vintages and tobacco。 Anyway, from Strickland’ s decent behavior to what he says, we regard him as commonplace without hesitation。 If not by love, there is no reason for a woman who wants to find herself a position in the world of art to stay with him。 Strickland is probably a good member of society, a nice husband and father, an honest stockbroker; but it is unnecessary to waste one’ s time over him。来*自~优|尔^论:文+网www.youerw.com +QQ752018766*

  At this part, besides shaping Strickland’ s good, null, honest and plain character, it also shows us how Mrs。 Strickland loves her husband though Strickland is totally different to what she pursues, and how great their children are。 All of these things attempt to give us the impression that Strickland has a stable and happy family; he would grow old insensibly; he would see his son and daughter marry in due course; and at last, prosperous in his dignified retirement, beloved by his descendants, after a happy, not unuseful life, in the fullness of his age he would sink into the grave。 Everything is perfect, and what Strickland needs to do is to follow these things step- by- step。 Art is something never appearing in his life。 We all believe it firmly。