Summary
Inspired by the life of artist Paul Gauguin, The Moon and Sixpence tells the story of Charles Strickland, a seemingly unremarkable London stockbroker who, at the age of forty, abandons his family and career to pursue an irresistible inner calling to become a painter.
Narrated by an observer who attempts to piece together Strickland’s enigmatic life, the novel follows the protagonist’s journey from London to Paris, then ultimately to Tahiti, where he unleashes his raw artistic genius. Along the way, Strickland alienates those around him with his coldness, ruthlessness, and single-minded obsession, sacrificing all else in his pursuit of beauty.
The title suggests a symbolic tension: the "moon" as unreachable artistic ideal, and the "sixpence" as mundane comfort—a contrast between the spiritual hunger of the artist and the grounded values of society.