Oddities of Love and Salvation in W.S. Maugham’s ‘Christmas Holiday’

Somerset Maugham’s Christmas Holiday (1939), the last novel of his middle phase, represents a striking departure from the realism that characterizes much of his fiction. Unlike earlier works marked by psychological depth, this novel explores man–woman relationships through illogical and impractical notions of sexual relations and salvation. The heroine Lydia, burdened by guilt for crimes she never committed, embodies abnormal complexity and becomes the central figure in the narrative’s exploration of human suffering. Her devotion to her imprisoned husband Robert, despite his destructive influence, underscores her odd psyche and complicates the theme of love and sacrifice. Alongside Lydia, Charley, Simon, and Robert provide contrasting perspectives: Charley, a sensitive painter from a wealthy family, undergoes transformation through exposure to Lydia’s tragic life; Simon, cynical yet hardworking, introduces Charley to Lydia and voices pragmatic views on sexuality; Robert, Lydia’s husband, embodies brutality and ruin. Critics such as Richard A. Cordell nevertheless praise the novel’s stylistic excellence, ranking it among Maugham’s finest works. Ultimately, Christmas Holiday juxtaposes Lydia’s abnormal devotion and Robert’s cruelty with Charley’s moral awakening, presenting a symbolic abstraction of human relationships that abandons realism in favor of philosophical oddity and stylistic refinement.