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Paradoxical Syndrome of Sin and Salvation in Graham Greene's Major International Journal of Research p-ISSN: 2348-6848 e-ISSN: 2348-795X Available at Volume 04 Issue 07 https://edupediapublications.org/journals June 2017 Paradoxical Syndrome of Sin and salvation in Graham Greene’s Major Novels Poonam Rani Dr.Santosh Agarwal Assistant Prof.Dept. Of English Literature Associate Professor Indus International University Gokul Dass Hindu Girls College Bathu,Una (H.P) Moradabad (U.P) Abstract Greene in his novels emphasizes the theme of man‘s isolation, alienation as Evil, Sin and Suffering and protest against the universe interfering with human activities and insisting on conformity through religious dimensions. Greene’s vision of life is paradoxical as he holds both Catholicism and modern politics together in unison. Greene appears to be pleading for proper harmony the rational and vital. Brighton Rock, The Power and Glory, Heart of the Matter, End of Affair underlines the theme of Evil, Sin and Suffering as alienation, seclusion, isolation, betrayal, murder and tries to bring out the significance of doing good, human love, and strong faith in God. Finally, it is right to argue that Greene's concept of ‘paradoxical vision’ is closely associated with his contradictory blending of religious and political ideas. Key Words: Paradox, Sin, salvation, religion, and politics Introduction that a saint may be an ex-sinner or that Graham Greene (1904-1991) emerged a sinner may be a saint in making. on the literary scene of England in the The term ‗paradox‘ has its origin thirties with the publication of his first in the Greek word ‗paradoxos ― para + novel entitled The Man Within (1929), doxa (opinion). Shorter Oxford English a historical romance, and was indeed a Dictionary defines the term as ‗a prolific writer, and perhaps he still statement or tenet contrary to received continues to be Britain‘s ‗main literary opinion or belief, especially one that is export‘ to the rest of the English- incredible, absurd, or fantastic‘. Thus, speaking world. He is a rebel ‗paradoxical vision‘ means the vision Christian, and in this connection says: which includes two contradictory ideas ‗I am a Catholic with an intellectual, if or principles. not an emotional belief in Catholic Greene‘s vision of life is dogma‘. He speaks a good deal about paradoxical as he holds both Catholicism sin and salvation, damnation and and modern politics together in unison. redemption in his fictional works; he In his interview with Fidel Castro and Ho does not paint his characters in mere Chi Minh, he, very emphatically, says black or white, for he is of the view that both religion and politics can be Available online: https://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/IJR/ P a g e | 39 International Journal of Research p-ISSN: 2348-6848 e-ISSN: 2348-795X Available at Volume 04 Issue 07 https://edupediapublications.org/journals June 2017 combined and made complementary to possible for sinners. It also shows that each other. In fact, he has tried to make a Greene‘s novels radically question the compromise between two contradictory doctrines on morality espoused by ideas— religion and politics, and soften conventional churches, thereby the opposition between the two through displaying his own religious his novels and other prose writings. sensitivity and courage. Finally, it is right to argue that Greene's Brighton Rock, the first novel of concept of ‗paradoxical vision‘ is closely Greene‘s so-called Catholic period, can associated with his contradictory be read as a detective story, it is ―almost blending of religious and political ideas. belligerently religious in theme‖ His religious ideas are faithfully Catholic (Stratford, 1967:166). This novel was a and political ideas avowedly left. turning point for Greene in that he had Salvation is one of the promises discovered that ―a Catholic is more of God to all believers: to be given the capable of evil that anyone‖ (BR: 309) gift of eternal life. To be ―Saved‖ in the The three main characters full sense of the word means to have themselves reflect conflicting attitudes. received eternal life. The word salvation Ida believes in life, Rose in religion, is also used to describe the process we go while Pinkie reveals a conscious willed through before we can receive eternal unbelief. Pinkie, however, constitutes the life. Matt Slick in Christian apologetics novel‘s real religious paradox. He and research ministry refers as Salvation believes, but sets himself up against his is being saved from the righteous belief. His is the tragedy of a Faustus, judgment of God upon the sinner. God though on a smaller scale, a man who has provided a way of escape so that knows which way salvation lies and yet people will not face His righteous deliberately opposes himself to Divine judgment. This means that God is both injunctions. He tries to assert his own holy and loving. He must manifest each individuality, his own ego and quality equally. So, being saved from the personality, against Divine authority. For wrath of God is called salvation. example, he believes in hell rather than This article underscores the fact that in heaven: ―Heaven was a word: hell was Greene has almost single-handedly something he could trust‖ (BR:284). redefined twentieth-century Roman Greene ironically adapting Wordsworth, Catholic notions on piety with his states: ―hell lay about him in his infancy‖ constant revelation that pious people (BR: 81). Yet, despite all Pinkie‘s efforts often lack charity while salvation is to deny his faith, he cannot get rid of his Available online: https://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/IJR/ P a g e | 40 International Journal of Research p-ISSN: 2348-6848 e-ISSN: 2348-795X Available at Volume 04 Issue 07 https://edupediapublications.org/journals June 2017 Roman Catholicism, which in its music the Lieutenant. The Priest is later and rituals, for instance, constantly arrested for breaking the anti-liquor laws affects his thoughts and deeds. and spends a night in prison. The third To conclude, Brighton Rock marked a part chronicles the Priest‘s betrayal by new literary direction for Greene. the mestizo who wants to get a reward Here, more distinctly than in the promised by the Lieutenant. The fourth previous novels, the conflicts between part of the novel reports the last belief and unbelief come into focus, conversation between the Priest and the and the many facets of these conflicts, Lieutenant before the Priest is executed. the ironic ambiguities and paradoxes, Greene believes in the original are examined and evaluated more sin of man. As a catholic he is of the intensely and satisfyingly than ever opinion that man has a natural tendency before. to fall to the path evil. Therefore he Greene‘s next novel, The Power and the makes a clear distinction between virtue Glory, ―a pre-eminently religious novel‖ and vice. These are the motions of right (Lamba, 1987:58), exposes conditions in and wrong on the human level and sin Tabasco, a small state in Mexico, where and virtue on spiritual level. It is rightly priests were persecuted with pitiless said that Greene‘s novels deal not only cruelty by the totalitarian, anti-religious with in relation to society and to himself regime which took over the province in but fundamentally in relation to God. 1917. The central opposing characters Therefore, Greene preoccupies himself are an unnamed Whisky Priest, who with man‘s innate sinfulness, his sometimes assumes the name Montez, awareness of his sinfulness and his and a similarly unnamed Lieutenant of consequent search of God‘s mercy and the Police. The Power and the Glory is salvation. divided into four parts. The first His anther master piece The Heart of the introduces the Whisky Priest, who has Matter is basically the story of been a fugitive for eight years, while corruption settling on a God-fearing and trying to escape from the country where religious minded-man, Henry Scobie. He he has remained as the last priest, is tormented by his love of God because following the execution or defection of he cannot reconcile it with his love of the others. The second part shows the human beings. He does also discover that Priest‘s return to his native village, goodness involves suffering. Scobie where he meets his illegitimate daughter, suffers in and for his own life. But he Brigitta, and narrowly escapes arrest by does also suffer something which is most Available online: https://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/IJR/ P a g e | 41 International Journal of Research p-ISSN: 2348-6848 e-ISSN: 2348-795X Available at Volume 04 Issue 07 https://edupediapublications.org/journals June 2017 illogical and incomprehensible. He finds the spy-thriller a very useful suffers in and for the lives of others. This method of writing. A spy-thriller is saintly feeling is indeed a reflection of usually full of crime, hunts and journeys his religious pursuit. On the other hand, and Greene‘s characters – more The Heart of the Matter is typically specially, his heroes – are gangsters, viewed as a novel having paradoxical smugglers, criminals and outcasts of analysis as Scobie, the protagonist of the society. Very often these characters are novel, is a religious man as well as a shown to be caught in desperate plights political one having the status of a and are shown to be either escaping the police-officer. Feeling the religious law or betraying or murdering their impact of the novel, one cannot ignore friends. Just as we feel fascinated by a the political one that is playing an spy-thriller so we feel drawn to a Greene unavoidable role invisibly behind the novel, but with a difference.
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