Individual Reading: "The Moon and Sixpense" #3. Champters 21-30

Charles Stricled used to be a translator of drugs and work as decorator. These things help him to survive and eat something in his poor life. He is a typical ragamuffin. There is an interesting fact – he doesn’t recognize his own pictures believing in their insolvency. But nevertheless he is a romantic in the bottom of his soul – he dreams about isolation in a desert island.

The friend of Mr. Strickland – Mr. Dirk Strev takes the narrator of the story who is writing his new collection of stories in Paris. Dirk is the unique person who is found of Charlie’s creation in the sphere of painting. Though they say that the main thing about any kinds of art is success, but not the talent or something likes that.

Charlie has lack of money. That’s why he faces problems with his health and life. The painter has nothing to eat. He can drink only water for days. But one day it seems that fortune has smiled at him – he has received an order for 200 francs. But neither the fortune nor the future well-served table can not be come true.

Our hero catches a cold. He doesn’t go out even to buy something to eat. He is searched by his friends – the narrator and Mr. Strev. All in all they bring him some food and drugs to support his health. But the level of temperature is on the high spot. The friend understands that Mr. Strickland needs comfort and protection. The idea is to put the painter to dirk’s home. The only one problem is Mrs. Blansh – the wife of Dirk. She is sure that Charlie will bring trouble to their house.

Nevertheless Dirk manages to persuade his wife who suddenly changes her mind – she is a nurse and spends all her time besides him from morning till night. But this is not Mr. Strickland’s business. Dirk gives up his job to be with his friend all days round. But it is also out of Charlie’s sight.

When the narrator is in the Louvre Museum he meets disappointed Dirk. The reason is that Mr. Strickland doesn’t want him to be his companion having expelled him from Dirk’s own workshop. But the true idea of the conflict is that Blansh falls in love with Charlie. It is a hard strike for Dirk Strev. Having known the fact the future-bachelor leaves them half of his money and home to the new-formed couple.

According to Dirk’s words it has begun two months earlier. The wife used to feel anxiety when Dirk kisses her. By the way she has hated hours when the husband is at home. The narrator is also shocked by this fact. Dirk spends the night in the narrator’s apartment. Because the lonely man has any place to go. He leaves his home to them as he doesn’t want his wife to live in awful Charlie’s room. To sum all these up the narrator comes to know that Mr. Strickland has no connections with such feeling as love.