The Heart of the Matter

This is the first Graham Greene book that I have read, and it definitely will not be my last. The Heart of the Matter is the tragic story of being the ultimate martyr. Scobie, who is the protagonist, has an overwhelming sense of duty to everyone but himself. Set in a claustrophobic African city Scobie's honesty and sense of justice seems to bring out the worst in everyone else. He is often accused of sleeping with the locals or taking bribes from the Syrians, all of which is not true. His largest responsibilty is his wife, Louise who he feels unhappiness is his own fault and therefore must fix it by sending her to South Africa. In order to do that he has to borrow money from a well known diamond smuggler Yusef. Throw into the mix a jealous letter censor named Wilson who is in love with Louise. Not to mention his lover Helen who has her own needs and demands. Many comparisons are drawn between Scobie and Christ in terms of sacrifice. The only difference is no one asked for Scobie's sacrafices and they provide for his unnecessary demise. While the book is heartbreaking in its failed human relations it is also beautiful and filled with insight into human greed, lust, jealousy and regret.

This novel is a brilliant masterpiece which speaks directly to the reader's heart.The writing is of such finesse and the plot so powerful that you won't be able to put down the book until you find out how Major Scobie "resolves his problems" in the end (his problems centre on how to ensure his wife's, his mistress's AND [even] God's happiness even if it means he has to pay the ultimate price for it).The novel will evoke every kinds of feelings in the reader. I know I felt love, tenderness, sadness, sometimes impatience but always PITY for Major Scobie, a deeply religious man who is merciful, responsible and kind towards everyone else but whom nobody really cares about, what more pities. Even though "everyone" claims to love Scobie or to value his friendship, they are actually selfish, ordinary people who have their own hidden agenda (even if they don't realize it) and want something or other from Scobie. All these "demands" weigh the poor man down so badly that in the end, he is driven to commit the final act of damnation so that (or so he thinks) the ones he loves will be free of him and they will no longer be unhappy.It's truly wonderful and fulfilling to read a novel which offers such a great insight into the mind's psychology and the human heart. I've been a fan of Greene's works since I read "The End of the Affair" which I loved dearly.I believe that one doesn't have to be a Catholic to appreciate and understand the novel, despite its heavy references to the religion (eg. about sins, confession, communion, repentence, etc).I can't praise this novel highly enough! Just pick it up! It may even transform some of your views on life (for the better). If not, at the very least it'll transform you instantly into a Graham Greene fan (that is, if you aren't one already)!

"The Heart of the Matter" is the story of Major Scobie, a relatively high-ranking policeman struggling vainly for advancement in a small coastal African town. He remains with a wife he doesn't really love out of an extreme sense of duty and loyalty. For those familiar with Greene's "The End of the Affair," it is almost as though Greene took Henry Miles, the cuckold who remains married to Sarah because it is comfortable, and made him the protagonist of a novel.Scobie, a converted Catholic, seems to take his religious convictions more seriously than his wife, who is more concerned with appearances and the way the socialites in town regard her. In this small coastal town, the attention she pays to her public standing quickly appears as it is, rudely farcical. Trying to separate himself from his wife, Scobie strikes up a tenuous relationship with Yusef, a suspected Syrian smuggler. When she leaves for a vacation, Scobie falls for Helen Rolt, a young widow. Herein, the main action of the novel begins, as Scobie finds himself forced to reconcile his dead love for his wife with his affections for Helen, his career, and his relationship to Yusef, all within the context of his Catholic faith. A truly amazing work. I am convinced that Graham Greene simply did not know how to write a bad novel.

This is a sad book. We watch the decline of a good man trapped in an impossible spiritual impasse. The book lays out, in lucid prose, all the fine moral lines faced by those with faith. Not only are we treated to the Catholic guilt of Scobie, who commits moral sins out of the need to help others, but we are shown the hypocrisy of his "good" Catholic wife--who follows all the rules but loves no one but herself. Pay special attention to the reactions of all the characters to Scobie's final action. They reveal all the complexity of the issues involved and all the blindness produced by human limitations. A terrific book that will leave you thinking, whether you're religious or not.