Of Human Bondage

Examine the role of familial ties in the novel. What parental functions do Philip’s aunt and uncle fulfill effectively or ineffectively? How do their notions and experiences of family compare to that of the Athelny family?

How is England depicted in comparison to Germany and France in the novel? How does Philip’s time living abroad impact his character arc?

Philip explores a number of potential careers: ministry, accountancy, art, and medicine. What do the professions that Philip considers say about social and class dynamics in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?

How are sexual and gender dynamics depicted? What do Philip’s various love affairs reveal about the relationship between men and women in the novel?

Philip’s understanding of art, beauty, and the artistic life undergoes profound change over the course of the novel. How and why do his views change? What is the significance of art, and how does it relate to some of the novel’s key themes and ideas?

Economics and class struggles play a significant role in the text. How do class and economic status impact the different characters? In what ways are experiences of poverty different or similar for the male and female characters?

Philip encounters a series of male friends and mentors who influence his understanding of masculinity and his own sense of self. Pick one of these male friends/mentors and analyze him. What is the significance of his characterization? What is his role in the text? How does his understanding of masculinity compare to that of the other male characters?

Philip often struggles between idealism and pragmatism in various areas of his life: his career, his interpersonal relationships, and his beliefs. How is this struggle depicted in the novel? In what ways, if any, can idealism and pragmatism be reconciled?