Two Roads Diverged

There comes a point in everyone’s life when one past catches up with him or her. Some people try to relive the glory of the old days in a simpler and easier time, while others shy away from the past and view it as only the pathway to experience. In Graham Greene’s short story “The Innocent”, we see the narrator struggle with both of these conflicting ideals when he visits his birthplace.

Through out the short story, Greene utilizes the many surroundings of the narrator such as the sand heap and the school and church he used to know in order to show how the narrator is trying to relive his past. Interestingly enough, regardless of the narrator’s feelings towards the sights around him, he cannot escape his present life, which is represented by the lady Lola that he brought with him. Though the narrator attempts to sever this tie by leaving Lola at the bar, he eventually comes back to her at the end of the night. The narrator remarks, “it wasn’t her fault that she didn’t belong here.” (43) This only further shows how the narrator now doesn’t view his present life as fitting in with the innocence of his past.

One of the narrator’s most definitive moments of nostalgia comes when he is reflecting on his love for a girl from his childhood. Interestingly enough, this is the one memory that isn’t directly triggered by something that the narrator sees. Regardless, it serves as a perfect juxtaposition to Lola who is his more experienced love. The narrator does not diminish the importance or strength of this love that he once had regardless of the age that it occurred at. He even goes as far as to say “I loved her with an intensity I have never felt since, I believe, for anyone.” (45)

Near the end of the story, the narrator has a final revelation that in my opinion represents the story as a whole. In the final paragraph of the short story, the narrator says “I had believed I was drawing something with a meaning unique and beautiful; it was only now after thirty years of life that the picture seemed obscene.” (46) After reflecting on both his relationship with his present (Lola) and his past (childhood love), the narrator concludes that his experiences in life have shaped him and has corrupted his view of love. He no longer feels the same attachment through love towards Lola that he did towards the girl from his past. There is a certain sense of a resignation from the narrator as though he accepts the experiences that he had and is now ready to move on. Despite this, I do not see the end of the short story as being bleak. From the fact that he begins the paragraph by saying, “I felt at first as if I had been betrayed” (46), I believe that he has used this visit to his birthplace as an acknowledgement of his past in order to move further into his future.

Questions: What role did Lola play in the narrator’s experience and was she necessary in the narrator’s development as a character? Do you view the ending of the story as a positive step forward for the narrator or as a reflection of missed opportunities?