ed ▁purs uit ▁of ▁art ▁and ▁beauty ; ▁the ▁first ▁cas ual ties ▁being ▁his ▁own ▁established ▁life ▁and ▁those ▁of ▁his ▁wife ▁and ▁children . ▁ ▁After ▁the ▁Paris ▁episode , ▁the ▁story ▁continues ▁in ▁T ah iti . ▁Str ick land ▁has ▁already ▁died , ▁and ▁the ▁narr ator ▁attempts ▁to ▁piece ▁together ▁his ▁life ▁there ▁from ▁re collections ▁of ▁others . ▁He ▁finds ▁that ▁Str ick land ▁had ▁taken ▁up ▁a ▁native ▁woman , ▁had ▁two ▁children ▁by ▁her , ▁one ▁of ▁whom ▁dies , ▁and ▁started ▁painting ▁prof us ely . ▁We ▁learn ▁that ▁Str ick land ▁had ▁settled ▁for ▁a ▁short ▁while ▁in ▁the ▁French ▁port ▁of ▁Marse illes ▁before ▁travel ing ▁to ▁T ah iti , ▁where ▁he ▁lived ▁for ▁a ▁few ▁years ▁before ▁dying ▁of ▁le pro s y . ▁Str ick land ▁left ▁behind ▁numerous ▁paint ings , ▁but ▁his ▁mag num ▁op us , ▁which ▁he ▁painted ▁on ▁the ▁walls ▁of ▁his ▁h ut ▁before ▁losing ▁his ▁sight ▁to ▁le pro s y , ▁was ▁bur nt ▁after ▁his ▁death ▁by ▁his ▁wife ▁per ▁his ▁dying ▁orders . ▁ ▁In sp iration ▁ ▁The ▁Moon ▁and ▁Six p ence ▁is ▁not , ▁of ▁course , ▁a ▁life ▁of ▁Paul ▁G au gu in ▁in ▁the ▁form ▁of ▁fiction . ▁It ▁is ▁founded ▁on ▁what ▁I ▁had ▁heard ▁about ▁him , ▁but ▁I ▁used ▁only ▁the ▁main ▁facts ▁of ▁his ▁story ▁and ▁for ▁the ▁rest ▁trust ed ▁to ▁such ▁g ifts ▁of ▁in vention ▁as