Maurice Summary

Maurice is an Edwardian novel and Bildungsroman written by E. M. Forster between 1913 and 1914 but published posthumously in 1971. Set in England, the story follows the emotional and self-discovery journey of its protagonist, Maurice Hall. The novel reaches its climax when Alec, defying expectations, chooses not to board the ship to Argentina, signaling his decision to be with Maurice. In response, Maurice rushes to the boathouse at Penge, where the two declare their love for each other. The main antagonist, Clive Durham, represents societal constraints and internalized repression. Narrated from a third-person omniscient perspective, Maurice explores themes of love, identity, and defiance against rigid social norms.

The story kicks off in such a way that Maurice Hall is about to start at a public school called Sunnington when his assistant schoolmaster, Mr. Ducie, has a private talk with him. Since Maurice recently lost his father to pneumonia, Mr. Ducie feels it is his duty to guide Maurice into adulthood. He explains "the mystery of sex," saying that men and women come together to keep the world going. Maurice, however, does not relate to this idea and tells Mr. Ducie that he thinks he "shall not marry."

At Sunnington, Maurice is an average student at an ordinary school. He has two dreams while there. In one, he follows a shadowy figure that turns into George, a former gardener at his mother’s house, whom Maurice had been drawn to before George left his job. In the other dream, he hears a soft voice saying, "That is your friend," but he cannot clearly see the face. This dream fills Maurice with feelings of beauty and tenderness. Deep inside, he knows he wants to find this person in real life—a friend he would sacrifice everything for, and who would do the same for him.

After finishing at Sunnington, Maurice moves on to Cambridge University. He is initially friends with former Sunnington classmates, sticking to the familiar. But then he meets Risley, a bold and outspoken student who makes dramatic gestures while speaking. When Maurice goes to Risley’s room to talk to him, he meets Clive Durham instead. Maurice and Clive quickly develop a close friendship, walking arm in arm around campus and gently stroking each other’s hair—things that do not attract attention from their friends. Clive encourages Maurice to question his beliefs, and eventually, Maurice gives up his Christian faith. After months of growing closer, Clive confesses that he loves Maurice. Maurice is shocked and tells Clive that he won’t hold it against him, assuming Clive doesn’t really mean it, but Clive must never bring it up again. Clive storms out of the room before Maurice can finish speaking.

Maurice is heartbroken over the sudden end of their friendship. He feels like he is losing his mind and cries himself to sleep at night. In his pain, he realizes that he has been lied to his whole life—taught to believe things that are not true. Determined to set things right, he decides to tell Clive that he loves him too. When he finally does, Clive is surprised at first, but then accepts that Maurice is being honest.

They become a couple, though Clive insists that they remain physically affectionate without having sex. Maurice skips his university lectures to spend more time with Clive, and one day he speaks disrespectfully to the Dean. As a result, he is expelled from Cambridge. Returning home, he wonders if he would have been punished the same way if he had spent too much time with a woman instead of a man.

Instead of going back to college, Maurice becomes a stockbroker, working with his late father’s former business partner. He and Clive enjoy two years of happiness together. But then Clive travels alone to Greece and has a change of heart. He writes to Maurice, saying that he has "become normal—like other men" and no longer loves him. Now, he is attracted to women.

Clive’s rejection devastates Maurice. He doesn’t know how to move forward and even considers suicide. Though he eventually gives up on the idea, he does not regain his sense of joy. Instead, he moves through life feeling dull, lonely, and miserable, practicing what he calls "self-discipline." Then his mother receives a letter from Mrs. Durham, informing them that Clive is engaged to a woman named Anne.

Desperate for a solution, Maurice decides to see a doctor, hoping to "cure himself" of his feelings for men. He first visits his neighbor, Dr. Barry. When Maurice confesses that he is "an unspeakable of the Oscar Wilde sort," Dr. Barry is horrified and warns him never to let such "temptations from the devil" enter his mind again. After this, Maurice turns to a hypnotist for help. He attends several sessions, but the hypnotist eventually tells Maurice that hypnosis won’t work for him. Instead, he advises Maurice to move to a country where being gay is legal, such as France or Italy.

At Clive’s invitation, Maurice visits Clive’s family estate, Penge. While there, he joins a group on a rabbit-shooting trip. They are accompanied by Alec Scudder, the estate’s gamekeeper, who is planning to move to Argentina in three weeks. Maurice first thinks Alec is rude for refusing a tip, assuming Alec rejected it because it was too little. Later, Alec apologizes for the misunderstanding. One night, Maurice wakes up and hears himself shout, "Come!" Moments later, Alec arrives at his door, asking if he was called. That night, they spend time together before Alec leaves for work in the morning.

Back in town, Maurice ignores Alec’s letters, in which Alec asks to meet again at the boathouse at Penge. As the letters continue, Alec’s tone becomes threatening—he hints that he "knows something" that Maurice would not want others to find out. Maurice assumes Alec is blackmailing him and arranges to meet him at the British Museum to settle things. But when they meet, Maurice realizes that Alec isn’t trying to extort money. Instead, he sees that Alec acted out of fear, feeling abandoned after their shared night together. Maurice invites Alec to spend the night with him at a hotel. In the morning, Maurice asks Alec to stay in England instead of moving to Argentina so they can be together. Alec refuses, and Maurice believes their love has failed.

On the day Alec’s ship is set to depart, Maurice goes to Southampton to watch it leave. But when Alec doesn’t show up, Maurice understands what it means. He rushes to the boathouse at Penge, where Alec was supposed to meet him earlier, and finds Alec waiting for him. The two decide to leave their old lives behind and be together.

Later, Maurice visits Clive, who is busy with work. He tells Clive that he and Alec are choosing to stay together forever. Clive tries to convince Maurice to change his mind, offering to help him "fix" the situation. But Maurice only laughs and walks out the door. Maurice and Clive never see each other again. Clive is left alone, thinking up a lie to tell Anne in case she asks why Maurice came to visit.