The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
W. Somerset Maugham’s 1944 novel The Razor’s Edge was an incredible success both in London and New York. It told the tale of an American war veteran who opts out of society by seeking spiritual enlightenment rather than material riches.
People beginning their exploration of Advaita Vedanta (the nondualistic school of Hindu philosophy), Buddhism or Zen often read The Razor’s Edge as their first book – as it introduces many key concepts and ideas they may encounter on this path.
The Depiction of Ramana Maharshi
W Somerset Maugham’s 1944 novel The Razor’s Edge features the spiritual aspects of Hinduism prominently, with an American pilot leaving his luxurious lifestyle for India to seek answers – ultimately leading him to an ashram at Tiruvannamalai run by a Maharshi, depicted here as non-demoninational figure which was popular in Maugham’s time.
Maugham met Christina Austin, wife of a British civil servant. Christina introduced Maugham to Ramana Maharshi who fascinated him with his humility and dignity as well as their clear understanding and explanation of Hindu philosophy. However, Maugham found the fatalist philosophy unnerving; “the sage seemed an acquiescent fatalist who encouraged his disciples that nothing in life was under their own control; they must simply wait patiently”. Maugham noted:
Maugham’s experiences with the Maharshi are mirrored in Larry Darrell, an American pilot struggling to comprehend evil and understand life’s purpose while questioning whether God exists and why suffering exists in his world.
Maugham was similar to Larry in that he held doubts about Christian dogma, while also finding Hindu religion tiresome until meeting Maharshi.
Maugham was dissatisfied with the movie adaptation of his novel. Though he had written and acted in it himself, but was only ever given credit as “Mr. Maugham.” Nonetheless, Twentieth Century Fox purchased its rights but he did not actively take part in production of it.
Tyrone Power was only 30 when The Razor’s Edge was released, yet looked 35 and acted much older. While an outstanding actor, Tyrone did not excel at playing an adulterous husband searching for truth – compounded by not looking or sounding like an American in his initial scenes. Furthermore, this film featured an underdeveloped ending and too many sexual scenes which marred its effectiveness as well.
The Character of Larry Darrell
At the heart of The Razor’s Edge is Larry Darrell, an American who returns home from WWI transformed. Witnessing death and destruction has left him feeling incomplete with life; seeking answers about God, evil and salvation through knowledge; while many seek these answers through work or fulfilling traditional familial roles. Larry does not see these answers coming through traditional means such as moneymaking jobs or fulfilling traditional family roles; instead he simply wants answers without obligation or payment to do it himself.
Maugham depicts Larry against an array of materialistic characters who might represent people he met in Chicago after World War II, such as Louisa Bradley (his fiancee), Gray Maturin (her millionaire suitor) and Elliott Templeton (Louisa’s uncle who obsesses over becoming European).
The plot centers around Larry and his journey for truth; however, along the way he encounters several problems. These include being detached from society which makes him seem out-of-touch with reality and his unwillingness to work which means he cannot provide for both his fiancee’s needs and himself causing some strain and tension between him and her.
Maugham makes an attempt to make Larry seem realistic; however, his character often seems inexperienced and overstates his spiritual experiences resulting in him coming across as unrealistic and self-indulgent.
Even with all these issues, it is hard not to admire and relate to Larry, an endearing character portrayed with great verve by Tyrone Power in the film adaptation of The Razor’s Edge.
The Narrative Structure
One of the key themes of The Razor’s Edge is the clash between Western and Eastern values, especially India’s Katha Upanisad (first published in 1921). Both Maugham and Ramana Maharshi had familiarity with Indian culture, which may explain some similarities with The Razor’s Edge to that Hindu scripture which outlines that knowledge of self is more than mere information: it serves an ethical function by uncovering transcendent truth of existence.
Contrary to typical novels, The Razor’s Edge does not take place in one location and time period; its narrative instead revolves around conversations that span many years and years of publication; its chapters do not follow any chronological progression and the most crucial component is Maugham, the narrator’s dialogues with characters which reveal their histories and explain their choices.
Some of these conversations revolved around Vedanta, a branch of Hinduism that Larry Darrell adheres to. Maugham himself integrated Vedanta into his daily life and often spoke about it among friends; Christopher Isherwood followed Vedanta after being inspired by Ramana Maharshi as well.
Philosophy is seamlessly interwoven with Larry’s life story and relationships, making The Razor’s Edge both thought-provoking and captivating. While it might not appeal to those seeking lighter reading material, The Razor’s Edge should prove rewarding reading for anyone interested in spirituality or how decisions affect lives.
A signed first edition published by William Heinemann can fetch several thousand US dollars as a collectible item; an article written about its 1946 publication can be found under record CC4256090 at the Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data (LoC CDD). There are also various e-book publishers providing access.
The Theme
This novel takes place in Chicago, Paris and India during the 1920s and 1930s and explores the clash between materialism and spirituality, searching for meaning in life while at once reconciling both worlds as illustrated by Larry Darrell, an WWI flying ace who returns home after war utterly rejecting his prewar values and dedicating himself to spirituality while spending years searching in India for answers that remain elusive to him.
One of the key aspects of The Razor’s Edge is its references to Hinduism and Oriental spirituality. Maugham was profoundly impacted by Vedanta, with many allusions to Hindu mysticism present throughout. At this point in his life he met Ramana Maharshi – later becoming his spiritual teacher in The Razor’s Edge as character Larry Darrell would do himself!
Ramana Maharshi was an expert proponent of Advaita Vedanta and his teachings are evident in Larry Darrell’s spiritual training under Ramana Maharshi’s tutelage. This can be seen particularly clearly in the last chapters of the book where Ramana tells Larry Darrell to recognize “Divinity everywhere.”
While traveling through India, Larry witnessed Hindu masses congregating in temples to make offerings and argue among themselves, while God seemed distantly present among all this noise and chaos – a theme similar to that explored in Katha Upanishad where Lord Yama instructs Naciketas that the Transcendent exists within their lives as well.
Another issue with the film is its slow pace and lack of drama, most likely caused by script and direction issues. Still, it remains an enjoyable film experience to watch.
