The Razor's Edge Essay

W. Somerset Maugham’s novel The Razor’s Edge and Thomas C. Foster’s book How to Read Literature Like a Professor both depict individuals having communion and behaving like a vampire. Communion can be described as expressing ideas or as a unity between individuals. A vampire is a person who is strengthened as a result of someone else growing weaker. The development of Isabel, one of the main characters from The Razor’s Edge, depends solely on having communion with individuals who are important to her and developing into a vampire. In Maugham’s novel Isabel is often seen sharing a meal with other people. The development of Isabel often occurs as she shares meals with her family and friends; this is when she hears of news that influences …show more content…
Foster writes that vampires tend to “focus on beautiful, unmarried women” (Foster 16). In Isabel’s case she focuses on a soon-to-be wealthy, unmarried man. Gray, Isabel’s husband, is not her first choice when she first has interests in finding a husband. She soon learns that Gray plans on being a great success and marries him because of the wealth that he will soon come across. Isabel “had to marry somebody,” which means that her love for Gray is not truly genuine (Maugham 160). In Isabel’s eyes Gray is beautiful because of his money; she becomes more materialistic than she ever was before their marriage. Her need for money and exorbitantly priced items leads to her developing an awful personality. Foster also points out that as vampires gain more victims, the vampire “grows younger, more alive, more virile even” (Foster 16). Since Gray is a fairly wealthy man, he allows Isabel to host expensive parties and buy extensive amounts of jewelry and clothing. Considering that she has the ability to keep up with trends, Isabel stays young and fashionable and is able to upkeep her high social status. She forms into a snob because of Gray’s ability to pay for the expensive things she enjoys. Although Isabel continues to “grow younger” her husband suffers greatly and becomes very sick. Her need for expensive and

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