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?