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Chapter 23
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Maurice, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Love and Sacrifice
Sexual Orientation, Homophobia, and Self-Acceptance
Masculinity and Patriarchy
Religion
Class
Summary
Analysis
At first, the change humiliates Clive. A He feels as if he has heard a voice say, “You who loved men, will henceforward love women.” He wonders how he could have understood himself so completely at 15 only to have that understanding pulled out from under him. As he goes through the day, though, he finds himself welcomed into the world of “normal people.” He has existed on so little for the past 24 years, he thinks. The idea of being with Maurice suddenly revolts him.
While it may seem difficult to believe that Clive has become attracted to women overnight, he seems to truly believe that this is the case. The novel hints, though, that he may have other motives for pursuing heterosexuality, namely that he thinks of himself as being welcomed into the world of “normal people.” He realizes just how difficult his life has been over the past 24 years, how much he has given up by being gay, how much has been withheld from him, how dangerous his life has been. With that in mind, though it is not immediately evident that Clive is lying to Maurice, or to himself, the novel suggests that being with Maurice might revolt Clive not only because he might not be attracted to men any longer, but because he can no longer stomach the hardship and persecution that comes with being gay.
Themes
