: 10. We see the lack of will and manliness, mixed with naiveté and honesty. How relevant is the setting to the action of The Heart of the Matter? He then moves on to Helen. She is, in my opinion, one of those women (persons)with an extremely fragile sense of self-affirmation, plus a religious fanatic (i.e. Excellent! I liked Scobie and wanted him to be happy. Posted by Steven on 5/8/2010, 23:24:41, in reply to “Re: The Heart of the Matter”. : 3. Scobie is a stranger in a strange land, overwhelmed by the parochial religiousness of Louise, with no worldly society. Entering your comments is easy to do. The Catholic Church (within which I was brought up) is one of the most corrupt, vicious, and perverted institutions in History. It’s very intriguing how the author introduces reading into the makeup of every character, and the only two characters who read literature are negative ones: Louise and Wilson. Pity is antithetical to love. I think Greene was a bit awkward when it comes to describing sexual attraction. : In what ways does the novel reveal the limits of our ability to understand one another? : the colonial occupation to his best advantage? -Maggie Ball, Dear Ashmita, To what extent can The Heart of, : the Matter be read as a critique of the Catholic Church? Scobie’s thinking is: Since Jesus committed suicide, surely it’s OK for Scobie to do so. The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene, like many of Greene's works, invokes both common theological problems and those rather specific to the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. I think the novel can be interpreted as a critique of it. Is suicide his only choice? In what ways does the novel reveal the limits of our ability to understand one another? Helen is nineteen. : happiness” (p. 75). Scobie and Helen are just having a conversation when, all of a sudden, there’s a kiss. Novel, an invented prose narrative of considerable length and a certain complexity that deals imaginatively with human experience, usually through a connected sequence of events involving a group of persons in a specific setting. : 6. To what extent is she responsible for Scobie’s downfall? The Father was likable also, but the rest, no reader could have cared less about them. Hoffmann. Where’s a person with whom Scobie can make a satisfactory, fulfilling relationship? To what extent can The Heart of the Matter be read as a critique of the Catholic Church? War theme rather serves as a background, giving way to other current motives – diamond smuggling, for one. Posted by Sterling on 5/8/2010, 22:16:55, in reply to “Re: The Heart of the Matter”. Henry Scobie is a police Deputy Commissioner and a long-time expatriate in the place. He is known for his professional honesty and probity, and his major promotion is very much anticipated - that is to take over the Commissioner himself once the latter retires. A woman like that may make a man crazy. The novel is narrated in the third person limited style, as we see the action through the eyes of Henry Scobie. In what ways does the novel show the workings. Posted by Lale on 12/8/2010, 8:43:31, in reply to “Re: The Heart of the Matter”. Though you are not a catholic, I suspect your judgement of Scobie is similar to that of a very orthodox Catholic. The work is considered by some critics to be part of a “Catholic trilogy” that included Greene’s Brighton Rock (1938) and The Power and the Glory … In discussing mercy and damnation, Father Rank says, “The Church knows all the rules. How has the death of his only child affected Scobie. Plus, the tropics usually make foreigners go a little nuts. What else might he have done. Wilson wants to impress his colleagues, on the other hand, by hiding his love of poetry. Are we meant to see him as a diabolical character or merely as someone working. However, the fact that their relationship turns sexual is not explicitly incestuous, in my opinion. Nita, Thank you Ashmita. Racked with guilt and self-loathing over his role in the accidental death of his loyal servant, Scobie plans to commit suicide. The only thing I didn’t like was Scobie’s repetitions of how he wanted to make his wife (and then later, his lover) happy. Kisses come on unexpectedly like sneezes. Scobie seeks peace and understanding in the arms of a young mistress, but soon finds himself even more confused and disorientated. If I’m not mistaken, Catherine died about ten years previously at age nine. Should his suicide be considered self-sacrifice for the well-being of Helen and Louise? He thinks of pitying the planets (!). I think there is a direct line from the dead daughter to the dying child to Helen. Why is her love of literature so often regarded with derision in the novel? In what ways do the subplots of spying and diamond smuggling parallel the novel’s central concern with relationships? Instead he is taken hostage by his tremendous sense of pity and responsibility towards Louise, and even more tremendous sense of guilt. : 4. Instead, he substitutes feelings of pity and responsibility. What role does Yusef play in the novel? I agree with Steven that it added an extra dimension. But it, : doesn’t know what goes on in a single human heart” (p. 254). Scobie sees his daughter in her. I agree. Are these statements about Scobie, : true? 'The Heart of the Matter' is typical Graham Greene. A stupid with initiative. I also found it redundant that Scobie was constantly reminding us how he wanted to make people (especially these two women) happy. Early in the novel, Scobie promises to find a way to send Louise to South Africa, and we read that “He would still have made the promise even if he could have foreseen all that would come of it” (p. 50). That’s why I think the setting is not irrelevant. I wondered about Helen being a substitute for his dead daughter, but the fact of his having sex with her made that seem altogether too monstrous. He could just as easily have put a Scobie in London or Brighton, but using Sierra Leone as the setting provides an added dimension. Who can he love? This leads to the major Scobie/author’s revelations and rethinking about human place, faith and loyalty in front of God’s eyes. We can be certain that Sierra Leone, where G. Greene himself served as an intelligence officer, is the true venue of the events, since the author’s introduction to the novel indirectly suggests so: “..The geographical background of the story is drawn from that part of West Africa of which I have had personal experience..”. It is very common that the death of a child, whatever the cause, introduces a severe strain and stress on the marital relationship. Are we meant to see him as a diabolical character or merely as someone working the colonial occupation to his best advantage? Scobie superficially appears to be completely over the death of Catherine. There’s nothing noteworthy about racial attitudes in the book. Allow me to congratulate you on your constant efforts at keeping the love for literature and the love for reading constant -amongst us netizens by regularly posting quizzes and information as this current read on Pulitzer prizes! : colonial occupation to his best advantage? Posted by Lale on 12/8/2010, 8:47:15, in reply to “Re: The Heart of the Matter”, That is hilarious, you have found a good expression, I’ll use it for some people , Posted by Lale on 15/8/2010, 23:09:19, in reply to “Re: The Heart of the Matter”. (Every Sunday School student knows the answer, but apparently Scobie doesn’t.) For what reasons does Wilson wish to destroy Scobie? I liked the book a lot. He thinks, “They [Louise and Helen] are ill with me and I can cure them. also a sign of a very weak self) ((Sterling’s approach must be deeper)). !”, “I can’t stand it here, I’ll go somewhere else”, etc. By what means does he entice Scobie into a corrupt relationship? I found the storytelling very complex: having various motives it is however closely focused on the inner wars of the main character. Click here to upload more images (optional). Just type!...Your story will appear on a Web page exactly the way you enter it here. What kind of woman is Louise? Why does Scobie kill, : himself, even when he believes it will bring eternal damnation? Why is she so upset when Scobie is passed over for the commissionership? : 11. Scobie thinks that “no human being can really understand another, and no one can arrange another’s. If you are “better” than another, if you are filled with pride, you can not love them. Helen is a healthy, athletic young woman who was recently married. Then select it. In what ways is the novel about the tensions between openness and secrecy, honesty and deception? Besides being socially unsuccessful, she has little chance of making friends of her own. Why is her love of  literature so often regarded with. For example [my story] would show as my story on the Web page containing your story.TIP: Since most people scan Web pages, include your best thoughts in your first paragraph. What are the consequences of this promise? Why would Scobie still have made it, even if he could foresee the ruin that it would cause? : 12. Even as a non-believer, I found Father Rank’s statements very moving. War theme rather serves as a background, giving way to other current motives – diamond smuggling, for one. Why is she so upset when Scobie is passed over for the commissionership? : affect Scobie, Louise, Helen, and Wilson? Does he love God and no one else? By what means does he entice Scobie into a corrupt, : relationship? Beyond that circle, playing hero or martyr is always a tricky game. Why would Scobie still have made it, even if he. Maybe his love for Catherine is his only remaining model. For what reasons does Wilson wish to destroy Scobie? And Scobie’s marital relationship is far from honest and open. The British life in the colony was interesting and the book held my curiosity as to what would happen and I really enjoyed the book. How are the two men different? : this sense of safety turn out to be so dangerous? It is vintage Greene, containing all his themes and strengths. To receive credit as the author, enter your information below. What kind of woman is Louise? After Louise is gone Scobie is relieved to find himself on his own, until one day a shipwreck happens nearby. All Rights Reserved. She is responsible to the degree where she puts an overwhelming pressure on Scobie: “Wake up, go to Communion!”, “Loser!! After Pemberton’s suicide, Scobie thinks: “Suicide was for ever out of his power—he couldn’t condemn himself for eternity—no cause was important enough” (p. 83). It has been said that Britain was more concerned with retaining her Empire than with defeating the Axis, and that is certainly reflected here by the fact that they’re sending an inspector to a minor colony instead of to the front lines. If God let himself be killed, is that not a form of suicide? : Is the novel implicitly or explicitly anticolonial? How has the death of his only child affected Scobie and the decisions he makes throughout the novel? : could foresee the ruin that it would cause? However, like several of his other compelling novels, it raises fundamental questions about the human condition in an accessible style.Set in the Second World… To what extent can The Heart of the Matter be read as a critique of the Catholic Church? It’s certainly hard to understand other people’s motives, but when one has close, long-lasting, sincere relationships, one learns to better understand them. Click Here. Someone who loves can feel sympathy, empathy, or compassion for their loved one. Scobie thinks that “no human being can really understand another, and no one can arrange another’s happiness” (p. 75). : 5. One of Scobie’s most shockingly heretical ideas is that Christ was the first Christian suicide, for how could mere men kill God?

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