Disillusionment of the American Dream in "The Razor's Edge" (W. Sommerset Maugham)

Originally a novel, written by W. Sommerset Maugham, "The Razor's Edge" is the story of an American man named Larry, who undergoes a transformation as he witnesses the changes in the world and his own life. Larry experiences disillusionment due to World War I, seeks refuge in France to "find himself", and questions the morals of society. The Razor's Edge entails several of the main elements of modernism, and Maugham illustrates them by exposing the …

…crashes. Isabelle marrying Grey, Larry's friend, is also painfully ironic. Lastly, Larry's fiancée, Sophie, dies before they can get married. Irony is not always satirical, especially in this time frame of depression. Modernist writers use the depression as inspiration (irony!) for the literature read all over the world today. Modernism is a break from tradition and a peek into the lives of the past through historical events and those who live them.