The choice of W. Somerset Maugham to take the title of Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem for his novel, The Painted Veil seems very appropriate after reading Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem. Shelley is writing about how the way that life seems on the surface is not how people really are underneath. This seems very appropriate to the storyof Kitty who is very concerned about appearances, and marrying well, and seeming important, but who is really very shallow underneath. She is upset with her husband for reading about science and history, rather than being entertaining at parties. When Shelley writes about the way that "Fear/ And Hope" are "twin Destinies", it reminded me of Kitty's mother who hoped for what she deemed a good marriage for her daughter, but feared that her daughter was growing old and losing her beauty so she would be passed over by all the men who would help her move up in society.
Both the poem and the novel seem kind of pessimistic about human nature and life. In the poem, truth is unattainable and perhaps it is better not to look under the painted veil. From what we have read of the novel so far, it seems like life underneath the painted veil is filled with shallow, mostly dishonest or unhappy people. Even Kitty's husband, who married for love, knew that Kitty didn't love him and was willing to settle for that. So both the poem and the novel, at least so far, seem to not have much faith in how people live their lives.
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