Interpretation of the story: "In A Strange Land" written by William Somerset Maugham

In A Strange Land

William Somerset Maugham is an English author, whose novels and short stories are characterized by great narrative facility, simplicity of style and a disillusioned and ironic point of view.

The title of the story has its direct and indirect meanings. “In a Strange Land” means that someone is in the other country, not in that from which he is. But the indirect meaning is that the Englishwoman, who has been for years in Asia Minor consequently she must have been assimilated, but actually she feels like an alien here. Her husband was an Italian, she doesn’t have contacts with her kith and kin (they disappointed of her marriage), her children don’t speak their mother’s language (although they are adopted).

One of the inns in Asia Minor is the setting of the story. On the one hand we come to know that the Englishwoman is a proprietor, but on the other hand she feels ready to hand over this family business to her sons. I think that her wish can be interpreted as if she wants to forget her husband. The narrator calls Turkey the barbaric country, but also notes, that she stands firm on what she believes.

Let me give you the whole reconstruction of the events. The narrator comes to Asia Minor and meets an Englishwoman who is a proprietor of the hotel. She has lived their for thirty years and it doesn’t change her at all. The woman lost her contacts with English relatives. She doesn’t have a chance to practice her English that’s why her speech consists of contracted forms. She makes mistakes when she speaks.. Her husband died and left her two sons and they don’t speak English at all. The widow confesses these are adopted children though their blood-mother is a Greek girl who used to work in the hotel. But nevertheless, after all these circumstances of her life, the heroine stays herself and is very polite to Englishmen.

Let me pass on to the main characters of the work. There are two of them: the narrator himself and the Englishwoman. The narrator, because of his “roving disposition” (his passion for journeys) is pleased to meet ordinary English people, especially women who left their native country. The man is fond of looking after them during the development of their personalities and mentality. He also has good manners of a typical Englishman.

Speaking about the English woman, who has been living for thirty years abroad, got married their and had two sons, we are to say, that she has been transformed greatly. She makes mistakes being communicated: her speech consists of contracted forms. Though the Turkey is supposed by the narrator to be a barbaric country, it didn’t kill her spirit of English society, their customs and traditions. She gives the man a bottle of a drink as if she used to serve the same in England working maiden. But she is unhappy at the same time, as her relatives broke all contacts with her because of her husband.

The narration is given from the first person and it helps us to become the immediate participants of the story, to understand an ideology of the characters and to feel thait emotions.

From my point of view the main theme of the story is to put on show the problem of being in a strange land. The Englishwoman is a perfect example of such a situation. The narrator gives us a vivid picture of those difficulties that she has to overcome.

To my mind the main idea of the story is to display that Englishmen are Englishmen what ever the weather. The Englishwoman and her deeds prove my words. Though her English is not perfect at all, full of mistakes and contracted forms, her children don’t speak her native language at all, she doesn’t have anybody who loves her and waits for her in England, she saves inside of her soul such typical features of Englishmen like making business (she has the hotel which gives her profit), being submissive (she manages not to lose herself in barbaric Turkey), calm (though it’s not her children, she takes it for granted). In my opinion, the fact, that she presents the bottle of a drink to the man characterizes her as an Englishwoman, because it’s a sign of ethic relationship.

In conclusion I’d like to say that I was really impressed by this text. It is written in a very masterful style and it’s easy to understand what the author means. Having read the story I remembered the song “Oh…I’m an alien, I’m a legal alien, I’m an Englishman in New York.” I’m sure it will perfectly suit this text although it is settled in Turkey.