Not What It Seems

            When I look back on my Graham Greene experience during this trimester, I find the character that resonates the most with me is Harry Lime of The Third Man.  I love the character of Harry Lime because he is both likeable and an antagonist at the same time.  He sells illegal penicillin that ends up deforming and killing children, but the way he deals with Martins is near comical as well as the situations he is present in are very out of place for a supposed villain.  He flashes a mischievous grin upon being discovered by Martins, and then runs away only to reappear at a Ferris wheel later to talk with Martins very jokingly and colloquial.  Harry Lime seems to me to be the classic example of the cool kid growing up.  He always knows what to say; he knows how to play people so they do what he wants, and he can charm a girl really easy.  Lime does all of this and more, while Martins can barely sell his books.  Lime seems to be the ideal character that fell in with the wrong crowd, but still maintains that boyhood innocence and charm that makes you want to like him despite his obvious faults and flaws. 





                                

            I think the reason I like Harry Lime and other characters like him is reflective of a certain kind of writing style of Greene that catches my eye and pulls me in, his affinity for characters that do not fit the mold you expect them to.  Harry Lime is the cheery villain who sells illegal drugs.  Yusef is the friendliest criminal you will ever meet.  T. is a regular young kid who just so happens to like destroying things for no good reason other than “because.”  These characters all make you think about what they should be and how that sharply contrasts with what they actually are.  This is one of Greene’s many uses of paradox in his writing and I think it provides for excellent story lines and character development.  It is also the chief reason why I would recommend Greene’s works to anyone who likes to read stories that are both serious and entertaining at the same time.  I do not believe there is a clear distinction between Greene’s more serious works and his so-called entertainments.  I think you can find serious themes in his more entertaining works and certainly entertainment value in even his most serious stories. 

            Overall, I would say that I have had a positive experience with all of Graham Greene’s works.  I did not know much about him prior to this class, and now I leave it with a growing knowledge of him and his works.  Whether it was comedy, passion, anger, loyalty, or betrayal, all of Greene’s themes and works made me want to read more and more.  I will certainly call to mind my experiences with Greene’s works in other literature settings in the future.