The Razor's Edge

"The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard."

That is the epigraph at the beginning of The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham. The novel is about the spiritual journey of a young American searching to reconcile the existence of a higher creative power with the existence of evil. The story is based on a supposedly real young man and his circle of friends, including Maugham himself who narrates the story from his own limited point of view. The Razor's Edge chronicles nearly twenty years of Larry Darrell's search for meaning in the world. You not only get to know Larry through Maugham's prospective, but also through numerous other characters whom the author used to diversify the view of Larry's spiritual quest. It is hard to say how much of the book is based on actual people or real occurrences because he writes as an involved reporter would, but still claims the book as a novel. Also the poetic nature of each characters life lends me to believe that he fudged on reality quite a bit to make this a true work of literature.

I enjoyed the novel quite a bit and couldn't help but compare my own life to the life of Larry, a man who shunned the American way of working hard and making a fortune to pursue a life of unending inquiry and piety. Obviously I have not left the country for solitude and study, nor have I refused marriage and unnecessary material possessions for the complete independence Larry believes is necessary for spiritual transcendence, but I still relate myself to him because he does not easily cave to the social norms that are being pressured upon him by those around him and his ability to ignore the material world that consumes and eventually ruins those around him. I am no where near Larry in many aspects, and I wouldn't want to be either. He sees independence and complete earthly freedom as spiritual transcendence, this view abandons human connection and tends to be so self focused that the relationships formed are genuine while being disposable. I believe that people need each other and that God created us to love one another and not to attempt to become one with the Almighty through clear and complete focus on the self.

The Razor's Edge is a worthy novel for anyone interested in a unique view of spirituality. I think anyone who reads it will see themselves in at least one of the characters presented and hopefully learn a thing or two about who they are or could be.