Some Analysis on William Somerset Maugham's The Painted Veil

     In The Painted Veil, William Somerset Maugham shows the reader that one's friends can help him "lift the veil."
     At the beginning of the novel, Kitty Fane was vain: She used her looks and charm- not her compassion for others or kindness- to attract suitors. Although she thought herself "prettier than ever," she married Walter so that she would be able to avoid underirable things, such as Doris's (her sister) wedding. Would a selfless woman marry a man for convienence?
    However, after she moved to China with her husband, Kitty found friendship. Kitty's newfound friends helped her change and mature. When Kitty first met Waddington in China, he had no knowledge of her love for Charlie Townsend and therefore gave her his frank opinion: Charlie was foolish, selfish, and deceptive. This allowed Kitty to "lift the veil" and see how others viewed Charlie; although a reputation is not everything, it is wise to take it into account. Later, Waddington told Kitty, "You see, you and I are the only people here who walk quite quietly and peaceably on solid ground. The nuns walk in heaven and your husband- in darkness." Before this, Kitty had not understood what she had done to her husband, but Waddington, with this statement, helped Kitty to see that Walter's pain lay in more than his injured ego. Waddington was not hesitant to speak his mind; he told Kitty, "I don't think for a moment that you're in love with your husband," and "You look... unhappy." Kitty was unhappy, and she knew that, but her friend saw that too, helping her see that she needed to find peace. If one is unhappy, he is not at peace. He is troubled or burdened and cannot let his troubles go. By telling Kitty she looked unhappy, Waddington made her see herself as others did: not at peace. In her mind, the solution was to find peace. According to Shelley's poem ("Lift not the painted veil which those who live"), hope is under the veil. Kitty had a hope for peace and therefore had lifed the veil with the help of her dear friend, Waddington. Without him would she have known she wanted peace? Perhaps, but mich later, if then. Without Waddington, Kitty would have remained as she was before lifting the veil called Life.
     The nuns at the convent continuously praised Walter: He was kind; he was good. Kitty marveled at ths: "She alone had been blind to his merit." Kitty had not seen Walter as a good man until she befriended the French nuns. These women helped Kitty to see past Walter's manner, his dress, his outward appearance, and into his heart, and, in turn, into her own. Would Kitty have come to think of and have compassion for Walter if it had not been for the nuns? Mother Superior ans Sister Joseph helped Kitty life the veil and see that Kitty despised Walter because he loved her. Without them she would not have found her path to peace. Mother Superior once said to Kitty. "You know, my dear child, that one cannot find peace in work or in pleasure, in the world or in a convent, but only in one's soul." Peace comes from a rested soul, one absent of distress, regret, troubles, or worry burdening it. With these words, Mother Superior changed Kitty Fane's life. Kitty lifted to veil and saw where to find peace. What is a life without peace? What is a life without a content heart and soul? Kitty's friends helped her lift the veil by being honest about her, themselves, and life. As Oscar Wilde once said, "Friends stab you in the front."