Heart Of The Matter - First Edition, 1948
Greene in his epigraph to
this novel quotes Charles Péguy to the effect that no one can know
Christianity better than a sinner – unless it be a saint.
Thommo, Geetha, Devika, Saras, Sudesh Jain, Priya
There is a lot about
Catholicism in this novel which led to Greene being called a Catholic
novelist, instead of a novelist who happened to be Catholic (which he
preferred). The suicide ending the novel is made to appear as an
irreconcilable conflict between Scobie's religious beliefs and and
his sinful ways. But suicide is usually a result of clinical
depression, complete despair, isolation, and seeing no way out of a
morass of troubles. The other kind of suicide is the Japanaese
seppuku, to retrieve honour in an extreme situation.
Sudesh Jain, Priya, KumKum, Zakia
Pity is a word much used in
this novel (thirty-five times to be precise), and forms the basis for the marital bond, as well as the
extra-marital foray of Scobie. Scobie has raised Pity to the level of
a Cardinal Virtue, so that he may be called the Patron Saint of Pity.
The depth of this feeling tears him apart when two pities are ranged on opposing parties.
Priya and KumKum
Equally, one may say it is
Scobie's overweening sense of personal Responsibility for the
happiness of others that lies at the root of his moral perplexity. It
does not occur to him that people are quite capable of taking care of
their own happiness (or unhappiness), and can reconcile with their
own frustrations and unmet expectations. Søren Kierkegaard would say he is
seeking spiritual and ethical integrity, but not focusing on it
single-mindedly (cf. Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing).
Sudesh Jain
Here are a few memorable
quotations from the novel:
We are all of us resigned
to death: it's life we aren't resigned to.
Friendship is something
in the soul. It is a thing one feels. It is not a return for
something.
The truth, he thought,
has never been of any real value to any human being—it is a symbol
for mathematicians and philosophers to pursue. In human relations
kindness and lies are worth a thousand truths.
The group presented themselves at the end of the
session, which included refreshments for Geetha's birthday; Zakia had
to leave early.
Geetha, Devika, Saras, KumKum, Priya (standing) Sudesh Jain, Joe, Thommo (sitting)
