Not Everyone Can Be Jesus

Especially when we consider Greene's reputation as the "Catholic" novelist, it is easy to see a common theme in some of the major works that we have read this year. In both The Power and the Glory and The Heart of the Matter, we have seen the protagonist go to his death, and the reader is allowed to see the effects of his death on those around him. The two characters, the whisky priest and Major Scobie, both die in the hope of a better world in the wake of his death. This sacrificial aspect reflects (to borrow a phrase from another esteemed English teacher here) a Christ impulse in both characters. Like Jesus, both of these men went willingly to their deaths in the hope of promoting a greater good. Greene uses the final parts of both The Power and the Glory and The Heart of the Matter to examine their respective characters' success in their sacrifices.

In The Power and the Glory, the whisky priest's death has immediate effects on the people around him, and they seem to be for the better. First, Mr. Tench, having unexpectedly received a letter from his wife, resolves to leave Mexico after witnessing the execution. We as the reader can have high hopes for his future, as he is abandoning the isolation we see around him for perhaps a more faithful and more fulfilling life with his wife. Meanwhile, the lieutenant appears to be undergoing a change of heart. After his interaction with the priest, in which the priest is frustratingly non-argumentative, the lieutenant begins to question whether killing the priest was the right thing to do. Finally, the boy comes to understand the significance of the priest's martyrdom, and rejects his previous petulant arrogance towards the Church and helps to shelter another runaway priest. All of these positive changes in people were sparked by the priest's death. While that was not his goal, we can still see the Christ impulse reflected in him, as he died for the good of others.

Maybe a better question than its usual counterpart for Scobie to ask himself.

On the other hand, Scobie does intend his death to improve people’s lives. He prays to God, and says that “I can’t desert either of them [Louise and Helen] while I’m alive, but I can die and remove myself from their blood stream. They are ill with me and I can cure them.” (294) That said, Greene strongly suggests that the reader should question whether or not Scobie was successful in improving either Louise’s or Helen’s life. Louise, though she appears to be handling his death quite well, cannot seem to get over it to the extent that she can reciprocate Wilson’s love. Louise also apparently knew about the affair, and so had legitimate reason to do the same with Wilson, yet seems incapable. Meanwhile, Helen tells Bagster that she doesn’t love anyone, and her faith in God has been shaken. Scobie’s death has taken a major toll on her, and it is questionable how well she can recover, even considering how young she is. Not only has Scobie apparently damned himself (overlooking the comforting words of Fr. Rank bringing that into question), he has actually devalued the lives of the people he was trying to save, and thus Greene shows how misplaced Scobie’s Christ impulse is.

Now that we have reached the end of the novel, my remaining question concerns the future of those two women, Helen and Louise. Can Scobie’s suicide have a positive effect on them in the long run, or will they be forever hindered by their memory of him?

Scobie and Hotspur

        “Years and years ago, in another life of childhood, someone with his name, Henry Scobie, had acted in the school play, had acted Hotspur” (Greene 255).

        Upon reading Book 3 Part 1 (henceforth referred to as B3P1) of Graham Greene’s “The Heart of the Matter,” I couldn’t help but notice the comparison between the main character of this story, Scobie, and one of the main characters of Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1.  In Henry IV, Hotspur is best described as a brash individual, driven by his notion of honor being the most important trait one can have.  To make a long story short, Hotspur’s actions, as a result of his ideology, cause his demise.
        Scobie is driven, time and time again, by his attachment to responsibility.  After all, he had mentioned previously in the short story that what he likes most about his wife is caring for her, not her herself.  But in B3P1, this attachment causes harm to him in ways he could not have previously conceived.

        Louise returns, and Scobie is immediately torn between his responsibility to his wife and his “love” of Helen.  Yet what I believe makes his decision of who to remain faithful to so difficult is not this exact juxtaposition.  If he actually loves Helen and he doesn’t love his wife, the decision would be simple.  However, his relationship with Helen is not love.  In fact, he himself begins to acknowledge this; he thinks, “was it even love, or was it just a feeling of pity and responsibility” (265).  Clearly, he feels responsible for Helen, rather than love for her.  Thus, he simply cannot decide between two very similar instances of responsibility, and has to remain torn between the two women.
        So returning to the juxtaposition Greene presents, how does this specifically impact Scobie in the novel? In B3P1, it impacts him significantly.  First, we see it in his relationship with Helen.  As this selection progresses, their relationship becomes increasingly strained.  In one of their frequent arguments, Scobie says, “My dear, I haven’t come here to quarrel,” and Helen replies with “I sometimes wonder what you do come here for” (271).  This is indicative of more than what is immediately apparent.  Of course, there is the obvious fact that Helen believes he simply worries and “quarrels” with her now.  However, she also doesn’t think Scobie comes to her for love anymore.  It must be something else.  Therefore, Scobie’s tendency to prefer responsibility to love harmed his relationship with Helen because she recognizes that he never really loves her, as she does him.
        Second, it indirectly undermines his trust of everyone else.  Because he cannot choose between Louise and Helen, he lives in constant fear of his wife finding out about his adultery.  Eventually, he begins to believe that his servant (who has been loyal to him for 15 years) could be working against him.  He inadvertently causes Ali’s death, leading to what appears to be his only truthful statement about love in this story so far: “I loved him” (286).  He caused the death of the only person he truly loved (note that “love” in this sense is more of a paternal one).
        Just as Hotspur’s sense of honor influences him, Scobie’s infatuation with responsibility hinders him from making important decisions.  As we see him tumble into further despair, I leave you with this question:
        Do you believe Scobie will eventually die as a result of his obsession, like Hotspur did?

The Best Way to Find out if you can Trust Somebody is to Trust Them

            Scobie’s final words at the end of Part I are, “I loved him” (286). As we have seen in the past, Scobie always feels pity for those who are facing danger (whether it be in the form of disease, distress, etc.). As Helen Rolt put it, “I think [Scobie] only likes the sick” (239). Although Scobie says this line after seeing Ali’s dead body, there is something very distinct about it that separates it from the pity and love we have seen him feel in other situations. Specifically, here Scobie uses the past tense, meaning that he loved Ali even before he saw found him in the miserable state that he did.

            Scobie’s relationship with Ali is different than his relationship with any other character in the book, because it is based on trust. Trust emerges as something that hugely affects Scobie, and as one of the few things able to invoke his emotions. From Scobie’s perspective, there are five characters that know about his affair with Helen: himself, Helen, Wilson, Ali, and God. Of these five, Scobie only really trusts one, that one being Ali.

            First, let’s look at Wilson. One thing that we should note about Scobie’s current relationship with Wilson is that Scobie does not bear any animosity towards Wilson. In the two confrontations between them that we saw in this reading, Scobie does not attempt to act aggressively towards Wilson. Despite Wilson openly attempting to ruin the whole façade that Scobie has put up, Scobie does not try to do anything more than make Wilson go away. He does not hate him, but he most certainly does not trust him. Without doubt, Scobie would not weep over the loss of Wilson in his life.

            At this point Scobie’s relationship with Helen has become significantly more complicated. She has started questioning him about his beliefs, and how it is possible for him to commit a sin like adultery so consciously and willingly if he believes in hell. She thinks that he might be using his faith as an excuse to avoid being with her. He constantly has to make promises to her to keep things going. With regard to his promises, even Scobie has begun to doubt that he can keep them all. He lies much more easily to Louise than he ever has before, and he worries about which promises he can keep and which he has to betray. He has feelings of distrust towards Helen and himself. At this point, Helen leaving would bring peace into his life. He might be sad, but he would not cry about it. If he were to escape everything, then he would achieve peace as well, and would not be sad to leave all the trouble.

            Scobie’s relationship with God develops more when he is at confession. Father Rank tells him that so long as he is unwilling or unable to stop sinning, then he won’t receive absolution. Scobie does not find any comfort in God, does not think that he can find any salvation in God, and cannot come to terms with God as a forgiving force. He wants to believe that God cannot punish him for loving someone, but cannot come to terms with that. At Mass, he does not find peace or comfort in the words, but feels more like he is on trial. If he completely abandoned God, he would not be upset about it. Without God, Scobie would not really have anything to worry about, and could simply adopt Yusef’s idea of having as many women as you want.

            Unlike anybody else, Ali remained true to Scobie. At the same time, however, Scobie looked for a means to distrust Ali in this reading. He started to feel somewhat paranoid due to all the distrust, and looked for ways to be mad at Ali. However, at the end of Part I, Scobie has to face a tragedy that he has since avoided seeing in person. He sees the death of a child who meant a lot to him. He realized that Ali trusted him, and that if he had trusted Ali then he would not have died. Out of all these characters, Ali was the one able to cause Scobie to cry, and he makes a promise to find the man who killed Ali. Unlike the promises to Helen and Louise, this one is out of true anger, sadness, and love.

Question for discussion: Which now plays a greater role in Scobie's life: trust or pity?

Don Henley is no Graham Greene

OK so I really don't like Don Henley or his former band, The Eagles, at all. But I remembered today that Henley has a song "The Heart of the Matter". It's the kind of song you're likely to hear on a "soft rock" station or while you on hold with customer service. But the lyrics actually are somewhat applicable to the novel.

I love you, now leave me alone.

           

     If it is true that you cannot please everyone you meet, then no one told Scobie.  As we continue in Book two we find that his utter inability to not help anyone he comes into contact with forces him to beg to be left alone.  His desire to be alone is only matched, it seems, by his extreme sense of commitment to everyone he meets.  Scobie wants to comfort and help everyone he meets, but as he forms relationships with other people, he continues to desire to be left alone in these relationships.  It seems that as he grows closer to people, he only sees this as another burden for him to uphold.  He does not see a mutually beneficial relationship, only one where he has to endlessly please the person he is with. 

     We see these desires by Scobie as he is torn between his commitment to his wife Louise and his newfound commitment to Helen Rolt.  Scobie acts as a father figure by bringing her stamps, but he also acts as a lover by carrying out an affair with her.  This strange combination of feelings and actions can be explained only by Scobie’s relentless need to comfort those in need.  However, as he continues to grow closer to Helen, he is only more troubled and continues to want to be alone.  After he has an argument with Helen, he dutifully returns later and “prayed between the two knocks that anger might still be there behind the door” (235).  He actually wants to be rejected; he wants her to be furious and send him away.  Scobie actively pursues relationships, but is unable to break them because of his sense of responsibility.  As a result, he prefers and even desires to be rejected.

     His final hope is that he will be left completely alone without any of the relationships he has formed.  No Helen, no Louise, no responsibilities for him to manage.  He no longer has to worry about the happiness of others; that is his ultimate desire.  His yearning to be rejected and left alone is confirmed when he wonders “why can’t they leave me in peace?” “I’ve got nothing to give them” (237).  Scobie believes he offers nothing to these relationships.  He does not benefit from them; he does not add to them; there is no reason for them.  The only reason he returns is his responsibility.  Should people reject him anyway, he goes away and does not think twice.  He tries to please everyone, though it would appear he does not actually want to. 

Question for discussion:  Could Scobie ever feasibly have a relationship that makes him feel truly happy?

Oh God, I Have Deserted You

Earlier in the trimester reading The Power and the Glory, I wrote on the incompatibility of the whiskey priest’s duties to God and to his daughter with his fugitive life. While reading tonight’s segment of The Heart of the Matter, I see in Scobie a similar inability to reconcile the sense of responsibility he feels towards humanity with the obligation he holds to Christ. When Helen grows irate over the caution that constantly protects their affair and Scobie’s preoccupation with work, she commands Scobie to “go to hell” to “go and don’t come back” (229).  In the moments following Helen’s command, Scobie feels liberated at last and the “ability to sleep as he hadn’t slept for weeks” (229). For Scobie, his obligations to Helen run counter with his spiritual obligations, which call for fidelity in marriage and forthrightness with spouse and community. Yet with “recklessness”, Scobie attempts to make amends with Helen and attach himself again to his ponderous task by writing the letter. In forsaking caution and writing the letter, Scobie wails, “Oh God, I have deserted you” (230). His letter obliges him to Helen, calling forth that pity he momentarily was ridden of. His letter is a forsaking of Christ’s hopes for him as he professes his love for a woman other than his wife.



Scobie needs to take some advice from this guy

After delivering himself back into a pity-driven position of responsibility for Helen, Scobie considers suicide. Scobie despairs, “They wouldn’t need me if I were dead. No one needs the dead. O God, give me death before they give me unhappiness” (237). To liberate himself from all responsibility to the living, Scobie seeks a detachment from life. Yet it is an “unforgiveable sin” (237) in the eyes of God and the Christian community, a pathetic renunciation of one’s obligation to humanity. I believe the major issue for Scobie lies in his inability to leave the women in his life to the protection of Christ. He continually affirms his Christian identity, yet he appears to have no trust in the providence of God. For him, God can scorn suicide and infidelity, but is unable to look after Helen and Louise. Scobie’s pride, manifested in his constant feelings of obligation and debilitating pity for humanity, blind him to the possibility that as a human he lacks the ability of Christ to accept “the bidding of a hundred centurions” (235). Scobie needs to relinquish his sense of self-importance in the lives of others, to not “bound himself [to Helen] with promises” (244) and recognize that his pity needs limitations. His sense of responsibility to Louise and her need for departure has already plummeted him into the corrupt world of Yusef, “the territory of lies without a passport for return” (245), making him “one of those whom people pity” (248). Scobie’s unbridled pity and feelings of obligation to humanity are ushering in his demise rapidly, entangling him in a web of corruption and a life of deceit from which there seems to be no escape other than from life itself. Scobie needs to redirect his ability to be responsible and allow it to govern over his debilitating pity, keeping it in check so that he doesn’t die from the exhaustion ushered in by his conflicting, mentally-taxing sense of responsibility for all humanity,  the worst disease, what most…die of in the end” (178).

On a side note, I found the characterization of Harris through his reflection on his youth at Downham noteworthy. He begins to feel nostalgia for his youth despite the fact that his days were miserable, noting “the loyalty [he feels] to unhappiness- the sense that this is where we really belong” (218). Harris’s proclivity to seek misery parallels the calling to misery Scobie feels from his ever constant sense of responsibility and the pity driving this sense of duty.

Question: Is there any way Scobie can reconcile his duties to Christ and humanity without being crushed by the tremendous weight of his pity for humanity? How might he come to understand Christ's role in his life to lessen his sense of incessant responsibility?