It’s Friday and the end of Week 1! So far, I am really loving Of Human Bondage. I thought it would be very heavy, but that is not the case at all. It’s giving me Holden Caulfield vibes but not as bratty. That’s a reference to Catcher in the Rye if you haven’t read it.
By now, you should have read the following but of course you can read it at your own pace. For my own good, I set a schedule.
Chapters I-IV / 1-4 (18 pp.)
Chapters V-IX / 5-9 (21 pp.)
Chapters X-XIV /10-14 (20 pp.)
Discuss the above by 10/4 here on the blog. (59 pages total)
Click here for the full schedule.
Week 1 – What’s Happened?
Poor Philip. Only 9 years old and already an orphan. I don’t know what I expected when I picked this book up but I didn’t expect to so easily fall into the story.
Philip is young and forced to live with an Uncle and Aunt he hardly knows. And he must do this without his childhood nurse. Seems extraordinarily cruel. So much change for a young boy.
But Blackstable is pleasant even if his Aunt seems quite unsure of how to care for the boy. There is the issue of money. Not much was left for the care of the boy so careful consideration of what’s necessary becomes a concern.
We learn that Philip’s mother knew of her poor health, enough so to have portraits taken so the boy could remember her. Touching.
Philip’s Uncle is the town’s Vicar so the business of church, Sunday and the like is fairly new to Philip. His rebellious nature gets him into trouble and leads to him saying a very hateful thing to his Aunt, who is really only trying to do right by the boy.
This lands him in prep school where he meets a horrible bully named Singer. Philip prays for change and is disappointed with the outcome.
As you can see, so much has happened. This first chunk was very easy to read and has definitely piqued my interest.
- How do you feel about the Aunt and Uncle? Are they doing right by Philip or are they not invested in his upbringing?
- Philip suffers a deformity, how does that deformity shape who he is?
- The topic of Identity is strong in this chunk of reading. Who does Philip have to help shape his identity?
I have mixed feelings about Philip’s Aunt and Uncle. They seem to want to do right, but feel obligated to do so. There seems to be an attempt on his Aunt’s part to get to know the boy, but it seems a little forced.
Philip’s club foot. Poor boy. We don’t spend much time with him before he moves in with his Uncle so it’s hard to say how he felt about his deformity prior to his move but with him being thrust into school with classmates all around him, it’s definitely something he battles with.
I couldn’t help but feel for Philip. He really doesn’t have anyone to look up to. Without his childhood nurse, he finds himself fighting for his independence. The house maid, Mary Ann seems like a promising character. One who will maybe rally in his corner.
Your turn to weigh in. What do you think so far?
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