The novel falls into four parts, each one centered in an important location: London, Paris, Marseilles, and Tahiti. In London, Strickland is dull; in Paris, he is defiant; in Marseille, he is enduring and patient (having almost no money and being reduced to menial jobs, when he can find them); and, in Tahiti, he is happy, fulfilled, and (in his own way) successful.
Critics have noted that Maugham was struck by the importance of location; Strickland finds Tahiti a sort of paradise.
The minor character Dr. Abraham (in what must be viewed as a literary aside) gives up everything to live in Alexandria, Egypt, because he believes that this is where his life must be lived. Setting does play a part in a great number of Maugham's texts (especially the area of Oceania, which.....
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