ES 25 (2003-04) - pp. 137-152
A WORLD OF ALIENATION AND PAIN:
AN EXISTENTIALIST READING OF
GRAHAM GREENE’S NOVELS
AYO KEHINDE
Oba emi Awolowo Uni e si y,Ile-I e.Nige ia
Since li e a u e o en e lec s he mood o i s age and enabling con ex , i is he con en ion
o his pape ha G eene’s ic ion dwells on he con lic s and pains o he mode n wo ld.
How does he app oach his a is ic ea ? Wha a e he ideological h us s o his a ? These
and many o he c i ical issues cons i u e he esea ch ocus o his pape . The pape a gues
ha G eene’s ic ion akes on pe asi e ones o i ony and in ensi y, and exp esses moods
o sob ie y and pa hos ha a e in insic o he human condi ion in he mode n wo ld. Thus,
in he wo ld o G eene’s no els, man is dumped in a se ing which is un iendly and ha sh
o him. The socie y lows wi h ea s and bile o he occupan s. The p ospec o he
mode n man is po ayed as e y bleak, and his li e is ma ked by spi i ual s e ili y,
bo edom, pain and aliena ion. His b igh hope is all oo easily epealed by cynicism and
consciousness o ailu e. Hence, in e e y co ne o he G eenean wo ld, despai is w i en
in he ace o he cha ac e s. In ac , no only he people, bu also he whole socie y o
G eene’s ic ion s inks o degene a ion. I is also he a gumen o his pape ha he
allego ical pe iod o G eene’s ic ion is he wo ld-wa yea s and a e . De as a ion,
bloodshed, emo ional and spi i ual ba enness, he was e o mode n ci iliza ion, e c
signi y his. G eene, in he wo selec ed no els, depic s s uggling men who end up being
aliena ed and disillusioned. In sum, he pape e eals ha he mode n wo ld, which is, by
in e ence, he e e en socie y o G eene’s ic ion, is ma ked by depe sonalized c uel y,
mu ual animosi y, absence o lo e and communi y; i is a wo ld whe e man’s s uggle
always ends up in ain.
The concep o Dys opian Fic ion e e s o he a emp by a no elis o po ay
a ‘bad place’. Among o he s, such ic ion depic s a wo ld ha is e y unpleasan . I
pic u es he ominous endencies o he wo ld’s con empo a y socio-poli ical and
echnological o de . I is p edica ed on he impossibili y o a pe ec exis ence o
man, and i is an i he ical o u opian ic ion’s ision o he wo ld in which man
lea ns o li e a peace wi h himsel in a ede a ion o he wo ld. In con adis inc ion
o such u opian no els, like Bacon’s New A lan is (1627), Hil on’s Los Ho izon
(1934) and Swi ’s Gulli e ’s T a els (1726), he dys opian no el sees man in a
co up ed s a e, a communi y bede illed wi h his o ical e ils ha man has always
su e ed. I also cen es on he impossibili y o g ow h wi hou con lic s and he
un easibili y o a homogeneous socie y – a socie y o equali y and symme y.
Indeed, his ype o no el po ays a wo ld o social diso de and a alley o ea s.
Among he eadily a ailable examples o dys opian no els a e O well’s Nine een
Eigh y-Fou (1945) and Huxley’s B a e New Wo ld. Mos o G eene’s no els also
all in o his canon. In dys opian ic ion, he no elis is always blun ; s/he uses he
AYO KEHINDE
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ex o in e oga e he idyllic pos u e o u opianism. This is due o ce ain sad and
unexpec ed e en s in he mode n wo ld – cold and iolen wa s, e olu ions,
o ali a ianism, such as Hi le ’s Ge many and S alin’s Russia. In such a bleak
wo ld, man is capable o des oying himsel and all o mankind; go e nmen s can
also bend people o any kind o pu pose (Hemmings 1990:555).
I is agains he backd op o he o egoing ha he wo ld o G eene’s no els
should be conside ed. McDonnell, e al cap u e he essence o he mode n wo ld, as
ound in mode n English Li e a u e, hus: “Mode n English li e a u e ook on
pe asi e ones o i ony and in ensi y, and exp essed moods o sob ie y and pa hos
ha w i e s belie ed we e in insic o he human condi ion in he mode n wo ld”
(1978:575). Thus, in he wo ld o G eene’s no els, man is dumped in a se ing ha
is un iendly and ha sh o him. The socie y lows wi h ea s and bile o he
occupan s. The p ospec o he mode n man is po ayed as e y bleak, and his li e
is ma ked by spi i ual s e ili y, bo edom and loneliness. His b igh hope is all oo
easily epealed by cynicism and consciousness o ailu e. Hence, in e e y co ne ,
despai is w i en in his ace. In ac , no only he people bu also he whole socie y
o G eene’s ic ion s inks o degene a ion.
The allego ical pe iod o G eene’s ic ion is he wo ld-wa yea s and a e .
De as a ion, bloodshed, emo ional and spi i ual ba enness and he was e o
mode n ci iliza ion signi y his. Cla ke (1976) has p o ided an illumina i e insigh
in o he a is ic oeu e o G eene. To him, G eene’s me i as a no elis lies in his
“willingness o look a he ugly ace o so much o he wen ie h cen u y, wi hou
linching bu wi h pi y” (1976:94). This is done by depic ing s uggling men who
end up being disillusioned. Indeed, he mode n wo ld, which is, by in e ence, he
e e en socie y o G eene’s ic ion, is ma ked by depe sonalised c uel y, mu ual
animosi y, absence o lo e and communi y. I is a wo ld whe e communion and
communica ion ha e b oken down (S ump , 1993; O , 1990).
The hema ic p eoccupa ions o G eene’s ic ion a e many and a ied. They
co e many a eas o human endea ou (aliena ion, ai h in he mode n wo ld, pi y,
eligion, be ayal, e c). He is a no elis o mul iple hema ic oci (Be man 1994;
Dieme , 1996; DeCos e, 1999). To G eene, happiness is impossibili y in he allen
wo ld o he sensi i e man. Wha he mus eel, he e o e, is pi y – o you h and
innocence, o su e ing o all kinds, and o he wicked. G eene he e o e po ays
man in his soli a iness. Man is also depic ed as incapable o ela ionship wi h
o he s, and he is always a a loss in he wo ld. His ic ion is also ma ked by his
decaden conce n wi h neu o ic abe a ion and his po ayal o man as being apped
by incomp ehensible ci cums ances in a s a e o o al impo ence and pa alysis. He is
also a didac ic no elis , mos especially om he pe spec i e o his ideal ‘he o’ who
is a pe son wi h ‘exempla y’ cha ac e s, so ha o he s can lea n om him. He
emphasizes he limi a ions o he ‘he o’, no his g ea deeds. This is o hin ha ,
ac ually, in he mode n wo ld, wha exis s is an i-he oism, no he oism. In o de o
con ey his iew o he human condi ion in he mode n wo ld, G eene delibe a ely
A WORLD OF ALIENATION AND PAIN
139
employs ecu ing ea u es in his hemes, cha ac e iza ion and echniques. The
ones a e simila , and he ecu ing moods a e hose o pa hos, pi y, c uci ixion and
an agonism.
Undoub edly, G eene was one o he mos socially ealis ic mode n no elis s.
Two o his no els which o eg ound he cen al ocus o his discussion ha e been
selec ed o his pape : The Powe and he Glo y (1940) and The Hea o he
Ma e (1948). The no els seem o be ew o he bes no els ha embody G eene’s
eac ions o and p esen a ions o he p oblems o aliena ion and pain in he mode n
wo ld (Palme , 1986).
The Powe and he Glo y g ew ou o he ma e ials ha G eene ga he ed when
he a elled o Mexico in 1938 o in es iga e he eligious c ises he e (Allo and
Fa is, 1951). The o ali a ian go e nmen decla es eligious ac i i ies, mos
especially he Roman Ca holic Chu ch, illegal. Among he old-age cha ges le elled
agains he Chu ch a e hypoc isy, co up ion, exploi a ion and opp ession. The
chu ch is also accused o encou aging po e y and lou ishing in i . I is agains he
a alanche o c i icisms ha he o ali a ian go e nmen clamps down on he Roman
Ca holic Chu ch. Consequen ly, he chu ch is des oyed and banned in ce ain
s a es. The p ies s a e pu o dea h, o ced o lee o made o enounce celibacy and
emb ace a secula li e ( o example, Pad e Jose accep s ha inal humilia ion). The
go e nmen a emp s o deny he people he eedom o eligious a ilia ion. This
does no make hem happy; hey a e comple ely c ushed and dehumanised. The
no el hus cen es on he ideological dissonance be ween he spi i ual hegemony
( he chu ch) and he poli ical hegemony. The con lic is no iceable in he symbolic
dissonan ela ionship be ween he ang y and de e mined e olu iona y lieu enan
and he whisky p ies . The lieu enan pu sues his job wi h dedica ion, wi hou any
ea . On he o he hand, he whisky p ies does no ha e he powe o de end
himsel and his eligion.
The pe ading one o he no el is e y ense. This is e ealed in he symbols
o he ul u e, eagle, decaying ee h and he like. Man is depic ed as a ca case
wai ing o be de ou ed by some o acious ul u es. The eade is exci ed by he
epea ed occu ence o some images o isola ion, guil and spi i ual denial. G eene,
in he no el, p esen s he pic u e o man hun ed by ellow men and by God. I is no
a no mal wo ld bu ha o es lessness. O dina y and spi i ual ac i i ies a e
h ea ened by e o and o u e. No malcy is only expe ienced in eminiscences (o
he p ies ) and in his d eams. Such ‘no malcy’ is always e y b ie indeed. Th ough
he escapades o he whisky p ies , he eade knows much abou he pligh o he
en i e people o he socie y. Ac ually, he socie y is plausibly p esen ed. I is no a
dis an om he ices o kings He od and Pha aoh in he Bible. The no el i idly
depic s he blas ed p ospec s o he ic im–he o ( he p ies ) and he exploi s o he
un elen ing pu sue s ( he lieu enan , he chie o police, he ed shi s and hei
ci ilian collabo a o s).
AYO KEHINDE
140
In he ex , G eene seems o be asse ing ha he mode n wo ld is a
‘was eland’, mani es ing a spi i ual a idi y whe e no di ine assis ance is
o hcoming because he Almigh y God has been banished om he land. The no el
is he e o e a na a ion o es angemen and isola ion o man om God. I is a s o y
o God abandoning man in a blind alley o ime. In such a wo ld whe e human
communion wi h God is des oyed, man’s condemna ion is o an emp y and u ile
soli ude. God is po ayed as a supe na u al being o e ibu i e jus ice, hence he
socie y, whose mundane ule s ha e ejec ed eligion and God, is plagued wi h
despai . The e o e, he people o he ‘Godless’ socie y, i espec i e o sex, c eed,
class and s a us, expe ience agonies. They d i wi hou pu pose and ul ilmen .
The e is a clu e ed wo ld “de oid o spi i ual meaning” (McDonnell, e al,
1978:578). Heidegge also commen s philosophically on he pains ha ha e a isen
om he dissonance be ween God and man in he mode n wo ld: “To men o ou
age, God seems o be wi hholding himsel , pe haps, he seems o be absen o dead,
such ha he consequence is ha he jou ney o man h ough he wo ld seems o be
e ibly unce ain and pe ilous” (Quo ed om Ma jo ie G eene, 1957: 28).
The cha ac e s a e p oduc s o hei Godless en i onmen ; hey a e symp oms
o he diseases a ec ing hei milieu. The image o he socie y is no a e y
a ac i e one. I is i e wi h indices o po e y, abandonmen , b u ali y, squalo ,
pe y and majo c imes, co up ion, diseases and s a a ion. The e o e, he whisky
p ies , Pad e Jose, he lieu enan , he pious woman and he child en, he
commissione o police and his cousin, and o he cha ac e s in he no el signi y a
sick socie y. Fo ins ance, M . Tench, he den is , e inces a li e o desola ion and
abandonmen . He is an index o he s a e; he is lonely, us a ed and demo alized.
The chie o police also su e s om oo hache, memo y lapse and indiges ion. This
is a consequence o he schism be ween God and he spi i ually emp y socie y. I is
a place whe e he chu ch has been des oyed and no hing has been, and can be, pu
in i s s ead. This spi i ual ba enness engende s a lo o dissonan and pain ul
expe iences, like hunge , s a a ion and iolen compe i ion be ween man and man.
I is a dese ed place: “i wasn’ only people who we e going, e en he animals and
he ep iles mo ed away” (157). Indeed, nobody is spa ed pain.
The wo ld o he no el is a ension-soaked socie y: “ hings you couldn’ pu a
name o – jagua s pe haps – c ied in he unde g ow h, monkeys mo ed in he uppe
boughs, and he mosqui oes hummed all ound like sewing machines” (87). This
sugges s ha he h ee le els o exis ence (sub e anean, celes ial and e es ial) a e
augh wi h p oblems. Cha ac e s a e se agains one ano he . The police ( he chie
o police and he lieu enan ) and he ed shi s a e agains he whisky p ies and he
Yankee (an a med obbe , he Mes izo) is also se agains he p ies . E en in he
p ison cus ody, he inma es a e agains one ano he . I is a scene o appa en
iolence. This e eals he eali y o he age, ha is, no place is ee o dissonance
and pain in he mode n wo ld.
A WORLD OF ALIENATION AND PAIN
141
Again, he wo ld o The Powe and he Glo y is eple e wi h mo al and
spi i ual degene a ion. This is shown in he ou look and deeds o he whisky p ies .
He is a o lo n hopeless man whose s uggle o escape p o es abo i e. The
unpleasan u hs o he allega ions le elled by he o ali a ian s a e agains he
chu ch, as p esen ed in he whisky p ies ’s deeds, signi y he spi i ual and mo al
p oblems o he mode n wo ld. The accusa ions a e bo h seen in he p ies ’s
ac i i ies and in his eminiscences. Fo ins ance, du ing his sojou n wi h he Leh s,
he p ies e e s o some o his old habi s and makes s e n inancial demands on he
peasan s. Indeed, he wo ep esen a i es o he Roman Ca holic p ies hood ( he
whisky p ies and Pad e Jose) a e pe e sions o he ideal p ies s; hey a e no
pa icula ly exempla y igu es. The p ies s who a e supposed o bea he banne o
he chu ch in he dissonance be ween chu ch and s a e, ha is in he s a e’s e o o
b eak he on ological link be ween he c ea o and he c ea u e, a e appa en ly
unwo hy ep esen a i es. Howe e , in he con lic be ween he chu ch and he
s a e, we come o ealise he ac ha he s eng h o he chu ch does no depend
en i ely on he quali y o i s p ies hood, bu on he s eng h o he peoples’ ai h.
This is e ealed in he eage ecep ion he p ies is gi en in he i s illage he
a i es a a e lea ing he Fellows’ bungalow. The illage s, who had no seen a
p ies o i e yea s, ea him like a celeb i y. The Indians also walk a long dis ance
o i y miles o see he p ies . This is he pligh o people who a e spi i ually
s a ed.
I is ele an a his junc u e o su mise some philosophical easons o he
decision o he o ali a ian go e nmen o banish eligion om he socie y. Ac ually,
eligion cons i u es a subjec o con o e sy among he people o he mode n wo ld
(Cuo o, 1988). To some, eligion does no seem o ha e any capaci y o sol e he
p oblems o man; a he i se es as an a enue o keep man away om he eali ies
o exis ence. Sa e’s c i ique o eligion, as explica ed by Caws, goes hus:
“Gene al laws and concep s and all such abs ac ions we e no hing bu ho ai :
people, he main ained, all ag eed o accep hem because hey e ec i ely masked a
eali y which men ound ala ming” (Caws, 1979: 9).
Philosophe s, like Sa e, abound in he wo ld. They do no only ejec
eligious doc ines bu a e equally agains any claim poin ing o God’s exis ence.
This is in o med by he ac ha hey, and many o he a heis s like hem, belie e
ha eligion is a way by which people escape he eali ies o li e. To such a heis s,
eligion beclouds he wo shippe s’ abili y o eason and ace he challenges o li e.
I equally des oys hei will powe , he eby leading o wha Camus e e s o as
“philosophical suicide” (1955:23).
The con lic be ween he s a e and he chu ch in The Powe and he Glo y can
be loca ed wi hin he o egoing philosophical ponde ings. I is also akin o he
philosophical and ideological dissonance be ween Hegel and Kie kegaa d. Hegel,
in his philosophical pos ula ions, de ends a ional Ch is iani y and sees he his o y
o mankind as God’s in elligible plan. He claims ha he li e o man has been so

AYO KEHINDE
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planned ha e e y hing he does is na u ally pa o him. Tha is, i is na u ally and
uni e sally sys ema ized o e e y man o belie e in God. In eac ion o his
posi ion o Hegel, Kie kegaa d main ains ha a “leap o ai h”, which is solely he
choice and esponsibili y o each indi idual, is he only way by which one can
jus i y man’s belie in Ch is (1936:113). The lieu enan in G eene’s The Powe and
he Glo y, like Kie kegaa d, belie es ha i is only he ools who ollow eligious
dogmas: “You a e ools i you s ill belie e wha he p ies s ell you. All hey wan is
you money. Wha has God e e done o you? “(74). E en Nie zsche, a successo
o Kie kegaa d, decla es in his wo k, Thus Spake Za a hus a, he dea h o God in
he wo ld o oday (Mugge, 1908:11).
The whisky p ies s uggles o he g a e. This ells us ha li e is indeed a
mys e y, and i s meaninglessness is e lec ed in almos all he ace s o man’s
exis ence, as he o deals o he whisky p ies sugges . He sees his li e as ha o
eg e : “Wha an impossible ellow I am…. And how useless. I ha e done no hing
o anybody” (211). The e a e many hings abou man which a e no e y clea o
him and which keep aising a se ies o undamen al ques ions wi hin him,
especially when he inds himsel in wha Jaspe s desc ibes as “F on ie Si ua ion”
(1969:136). This is a si ua ion in which man is con on ed wi h guil , con lic , pain
and dea h. Such is he pligh o he whisky p ies in he no el. In he end, he keeps
on wonde ing why he was e e bo n in o his wo ld o wa s, wo ies, disas e ,
disillusionmen , hopelessness and ha dship. The pligh o M . Tench ( he den is ),
he Chie o Police, Pad e Jose and he Fellows is no signi ican ly di e en om
he p ies ’s. Thei li es sugges ha man in he mode n wo ld is a being who laughs
oday because he is a he zeni h o his success, bu omo ow he may be seen
c ying because he has c ash-landed.
The signi ican di e ence be ween he pas and he p esen o he p ies i idly
cap u es he agony o man in he mode n wo ld. The hi he o plump and ound-
aced p ies is now an ugly man wi h a hollow ace. He has “ he appea ance o a
business man who had allen on ha d imes” (107). This is pa o li e’s absu di ies.
To G eene, human na u e is “no black and whi e bu black and g ey” (F iedman,
1990: 141). We ind i also app op ia e o concu wi h F iedman’s desc ip ion o
G eene’s wo k as a “pos -mo em ic ion” (1990:131). The o deals and desc ip ions
o mos o he cha ac e s in he no el show ha man in he mode n wo ld is a
doomed and e og essi e indi idual.
How does one li e in a wo ld whe e ai h says one hing and he au ho i y and
expe ience say ano he hing? This is he pligh o he people o ‘G eeneland’. The
socie y is na u ally a eligious milieu. The people’s unceasing e e ing o he p ies
shows he socie y o be a highly ‘Ch is o-cen ic’ one. Howe e , he s a e has a
signi ican ly di e en ideology (a heism). This c ea es he ension-soaked and
iolen backg ound o he ex . The ideological dissonance gene a es d ama ic
ension and s uggle. Hence, he in e es ha he no el sus ains in he eade -
audience. The land is me apho ically depic ed as a slaugh e slab o a ba le on .
A WORLD OF ALIENATION AND PAIN
143
The people o he land a e me e bulls, and he s a e, wi h i s agen s o e o , is a
bu che : “ his was an a ena, and he bull was dead” (216). Un o una ely, he people
a e depic ed as a pack o mo ons who da e no igh o hei igh s. The o ali a ian
egime has educed men o me e goa s o sheep, who only b ood o e hei pligh :
“ he e migh ha e been a demons a ion. People a e so igno an ” (216).
The dissonance be ween God and socie y, as po ayed in he no el, also
engende s economic, social and poli ical p oblems. The economic si ua ion is
highly dep essing. I is a wo ld o economic h aldom and social dehumanisa ion.
The economy is mos unheal hy, simila o he economic si ua ion in mos hi d-
wo ld coun ies, which is ma ked by galloping in la ion, S uc u al Adjus men
P og ammes (SAP), weak cu encies, sho age o o eign exchange, mass
unemploymen , low pe capi a income, e c. Fo example, M . Tench, he den is ,
had ini ially hough o going back o his coun y bu , un o una ely, he peso
d opped and he now inds i i ually impossible o ge he o eign exchange needed
o a el back home. He he e o e loses con ac wi h his amily. He gi es up w i ing
because he canno a o d o send any money home. He does no e en ca e much i
his wi e has e-ma ied. This is he economic si ua ion in a Godless socie y.
The poli ical a mosphe e o he no el depic s a eac iona y o ali a ian egime,
which uses he ape u es o e o o en o ce i s will. We ind he ai s o he
p o o ypes o o ali a ian s a es in he ex : Hi le i e Ge many, Sou h A ican
apa heid egime, he Ku Klux Khan and he like. The s a e has li le o no conce n
o human igh s and digni y. The me e ac ha one is a p ies au oma ically ea ns
one he dea h penal y. He is al eady guil y o eason be o e judgemen . In ac , he
can only ge a con i ed ial because he will no be allowed o be p esen in his
ial. The lieu enan in o ms he whisky p ies : “You had be e know e e y hing.
You ha e been ied and ound guil y” (205).
The Powe and he Glo y i idly po ays he de as a ing e ec s o an i-
cle ical pu ge on he li es o he people. As a Ch is ian, he issues discussed in he
no el ouch G eene emo ionally. Howe e , he po ays he ideological dissonance
wi h objec i i y. Ac ually, he does no lay he blames en i ely a he ee o he s a e;
a he he also exposes he illainy and oibles o he p ies hood. Th ough i ony,
G eene is able o o eg ound he uselessness o he p ies s. Since man exis s in
mu ual coope a ion wi h o he men and in communion wi h God, eligion is e y
pe inen o a comple e o ulle li e o man. The e o e, om he opening pages o
he ex , G eene, in his na a i e oice, launches his i onical a ack on he
o ali a ian go e nmen , which subjec s people o spi i ual s a a ion.
In The Hea o he Ma e , G eene con inues his hema ic ocus on he
consequences o man’s aliena ion om God, ha is, he side e ec s o spi i ual and
ideological dissonance be ween man and God. The wo ld o he no el, like hose o
G eene’s o he no els, is illed wi h symp oms o wa be ween man and man, and
be ween God and man. The o e all e ec s o his on he people a e e y
exc ucia ing. The one o he no el is unmis akably agic and pessimis ic. Ac ually,
AYO KEHINDE
144
i is a s o y i e wi h ins ances o dissonance and pain. The qua y o he no el is A
Jou ney Wi hou Maps (1936), he a el book abou G eene’s ip o Libe ia and
Sie a Leone in Wes A ica. I is a no el in which he explo es he agonies o whi e
men in alien lands. G eene, himsel , once commen s on he e ec s o an alien locale
on whi e men: “I is a es lessness ha I’ e always had o mo e a ound, and pe haps
o see English cha ac e s in a se ing which is no p o ec i e o hem" (1968:674).
The e o e, G eene ad e en ly pu s his whi e cha ac e s in o eign se ings wi h
a iew o exposing he side e ec s o impe ialism and con i ming age-old
p ejudices abou A ica and A icans. He belie es ha he p oblems o Wes e n
ci iliza ion a e i idly e ealed in he de eloping coun ies, he colonies.
Goone illeke commen s on he a is ic s a egy o exposing whi e cha ac e s o alien
lands: “The p o ound hypoc isy and inhe en ba ba ism o bou geois ci iliza ion
lies un eiled be o e ou eyes, u ning om i s home, whe e i assumes espec able
o ms, o he colonies whe e i goes naked” (1977:5). Fanon (1970), in his The
W e ched o he Ea h, and S ua (1969), in his The New Re olu iona ies, also
commen on he unexpec ed and emba assing e ela ion o he mo al, spi i ual and
social degene a ion o he Wes e n wo ld and he Wes e n women. I is a s ip ease
o man’s humanism, elling he naked u h abou he misdeeds o man in he
mode n wo ld.
I is agains he o egoing backg ound ha Scobie’s p oblems should be
explained. His p oblems wi h he wo ld and God a ise om a numbe o ac o s. He
is in an alien land, ‘a wo ld ha pollu es his own pe ec cul u e’, sense o alues,
no ion o esponsibili y o man and God, and pie y. All hese lead him o be in
con lic wi h God, himsel and his socie y. In his Nie zschean empe , Scobie, a
Depu y Commissione o police in a Wes A ica colony (Sie a Leone), du ing a
wa be ween he Ge mans and he F ench, belie es ha man should always s i e o
be a ‘supe man’, a man ha is ee o any socie al and di ine con en ions. This, he
hinks, will make him c ea e new alues o himsel , and all exis ing ones, including
eligious belie s, will be cas away. Any a emp o become a supe man, howe e ,
in ol es isks and dange s. Such a man mus also s i e o pe o m chao ic and
des uc i e ac s. The o dina y man, o Nie zsche and Scobie, is weak and needs o
b idge he gap be ween himsel and he supe man by being b a e, ea less and
s ong, and he should always s uggle e en o pe ish. To quali y o a ‘supe man’,
Scobie dis ances himsel om all he claims o he wo ld and he con en ional
wo ld’s en anglemen s. In all in en s, pu poses and u e ances, he sees himsel as a
e sion o he Sup eme Being.
Scobie can also be desc ibed as an indi idual who s i es o ee himsel om
God, as well as om some mys e ious and con en ional bondage. G eene,
howe e , gi es he ic o y o God. The no elis seems o be sugges ing ha
howe e g ea a man may be, he canno se e his on ological link wi h God. To a
Ma xis , Scobie will quali y as a ‘model’ cha ac e ha igh s agains ‘ he opium o
he socie y’ ( eligion), bu o a de ou Ch is ian, he is a damnable a heis who mee s
A WORLD OF ALIENATION AND PAIN
145
his agedy because o his a al sins. Scobie’s beha iou is de ian i we iew i
om he pe spec i e o he spi i ual de ini ion laid down by he Ch is ian doc ine,
mos especially Ca holicism, o which G eene belonged, and which is a socio-
spi i ual g oup wi hin he communi y o he cha ac e s o he no el. Scobie is hus a
eak ha iola es and de ia es om he no ms accep ed by his communi y. He
engages in all o ms o an i-social and anach onis ic beha iou , including he esy,
adul e y, be ayal o us , in ideli y and collabo a ion in mu de .
G eene, in The Hea o he Ma e , also dwells on how well o ill his
cha ac e s unde s and hei deepes human d i es, especially how hose d i es a e
a ec ed by pe sonal demands and socie al and di ine expec a ions (Akpo oba o,
2000; Sil e s ein, 1988). This is he con lic o pligh o Scobie. In his sense,
G eene sha es wi h Joyce, Law ence and mos o he mode n w i e s a conce n wi h
he less conscious p ocesses o he human mind, de eloping his o e eal ‘ he inne
li e’ o he indi idual. This is e ealed in Scobie’s ‘soli ude’ ha keeps on wa ning
him o he a al consequences o his sins. The s o y is placed in he chambe o
Scobie’s consciousness. The belie is ha i is he quali y o mind ha de e mines
human uniqueness and i ali y, a he han appea ance, habi a ion, na ionali y and
social s a us. Scobie s uggles agains da k incomp ehensible o ces, apped in a
web o ci cums ances, coincidences and passions.
Scobie inds himsel in Sie a Leone, which is depic ed as a land o ho o .
The synecdoche o he land, as ound in he no el, is he wha , which is plagued
by cons an and pe ading ac s o ho o and social ices. Apa om he nu u e-
o ien ed p oblems o Scobie, his dissonance wi h God and he subsequen ac o
suicide a ise om he p oblem wi h his ‘na u e’, ha is his eeling s ongly o
o he s (Louise and Helen), no ou o lo e bu due o pi y. Hogga a es s o his
claim: “The his o y o Scobie…is he his o y o a man d awn o his dea h by
o e whelming pi y” (1953:450). Himsel a pi iable igu e, he is no co up ed by
powe bu by pi y; we can hen opine ha pi y co up s and absolu e pi y co up s
absolu ely.
Scobie is he e o e pa ially esponsible o his agedy. The sick one and
mo i es o he no el sugges his. He misuses his chances o he ee will, ha is,
his eedom o choice. The humanis ic pe spec i e in s udying human pe sonali y
claims ha he in e nal d i es o he psychodynamic pe spec i e as well as he
ex e nal s imuli o he beha iou al pe spec i e, hough a e no o ally i ele an , a e
qui e inadequa e and p one o laws. Thus, Scobie is bo h a agic and scapegoa
igu e. This is he a e o man in any doomed socie y. In his inal days, Scobie
s ands as a agic igu e, naked and alone, acing he mys e ious powe and he
demonic endencies, he di icul u h in himsel , he in e nal and ex e nal o ces
ha con ol him. He is no lawed in he sense o being de ec i e o guil y, bu he
has aken he agic pa h by choosing o se e man, ins ead o God. F om he s o y
o Scobie’s con lic wi h God and socie y, G eene has en iched he con empo a y
no el wi h a esh idiom o human ela ionship and a new way o disce ning and
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