Preview

Graham Greene's Modern-Day Review

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
723 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Graham Greene's Modern-Day Review
Modern-Day Review

This is not a story of fairy-tale romance. Neither is it a tale of heroic endeavour. This is raw fiction at its finest; an exposé of the very core of human nature.

In this novel entitled The End of the Affair, Graham Greene leaves no stone unturned, exploring the many facets of passion – love, hate, jealousy, truth, trust and faith, and then some more. It is a novel of infinite expression – Greene's personal experiences provide this novel with the sort of depth that would go on to set the tone for the rest of the fifties.

The novel opens in post-war London, on a particularly bleak and wet night in January. The atmosphere is significant for the novel's central themes – in extreme pathetic fallacy, the mood of the weather creates an appropriate backdrop for Greene's unfolding narrative.
…show more content…
At the same time, a triangle can be seen in the form of Bendrix, Sarah and God, who ultimately determines the fate of the unreligious protagonist. Sarah's lifeless marriage with Henry initiates the inevitable affair with Bendrix which provides her with the intellectual, emotional and physical stimulation that she never received in her relationship with Henry. They embark on a passionate, expressive journey in which both are more fulfilled than they have ever been in the past, until Sarah abruptly, and without explanation, puts an end to their affair. Immediately following his brush with death, Bendrix is full of anger and rage towards her unexpected departure, and loses all faith in Sarah, and to some extent, himself. His writings become the foundation for his self-confessed "record of hate, far more than of love" which is produced in the form of this novel. It becomes a forensic, analytical record of matters concerning the heart, and his bitter hatred of his ex-lover is a familiar and identifiable

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    During January of 2013, a fourteen year old boy by the name of James Persyn took the risk of letting a rape victim into his home. In the small town of Shepard, James was home alone along with his brother sister. At around 10pm there was a knock at the door. The lady was in danger, so he let her into his home, which was a huge risk. A series of chaotic events followed, yet James, his two siblings and even the rape victim made it out just okay. James Persyn is an important person who portrayed a “hero”. Most people dream of being courageous, or a here. Though these people have not yet been tested in dangerous situations.In order to be courageous, one must be mentally, and morally strong enough to venture, perservere, and withstand danger no matter how afraid or how difficult the situation is. To be courageous, one must be like James Persyn. James is courageous because he risked danger, is brave and overall did the right thing.…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Coming of Age in Mississippi

    • 16769 Words
    • 68 Pages

    ©2000−2005 BookRags, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The following sections of this BookRags Premium Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare &Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources. ©1998−2002; ©2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design® and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license. The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". © 1994−2005, by Walton Beacham. The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". © 1994−2005, by Walton Beacham. All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copywritten by BookRags, Inc. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storage retrieval systems without the written permission of the publisher.…

    • 16769 Words
    • 68 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    BOOK REVIEW AND CRITIQUE

    • 2964 Words
    • 12 Pages

    The authors explained to readers that God intended for sex to be enjoyed mutually within a marriage between a man and a woman and that sex can make or break a marriage. According to (Penner & Penner, 2003),…

    • 2964 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Haggard explains that society had created rules for the benefit of the whole community, and that individuals must keep their passions within fixed limits so that, if they do anything that may produce “mischief of one sort or another”, they do not cause ruin to the transgressor, “especially … if she be a woman.” (176) This belief conveys the societal expectations women were forced to uphold in Victorian Britain despite the inequality and double standards that first wave feminists were battling against. It is also Haggard’s belief that women, especially younger ones, need to be protected from the ideas of Romance fiction by saying that a “young lady, wearied with the account of how the good girl who jilted the man who loved her when she was told to, married the noble lord, and lived in idleness and luxury for ever after” (177) would only need to turn to the evening paper to see that this idea of romance in novels was a false picture of life. Consequently, this is also why, according to Haggard, men hardly ever read novels, because they are “for the most part rubbish,” and represents life in a way that is desirable for “schoolgirls”.…

    • 655 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    John C Calhoun's Success

    • 1708 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Life is not only stranger than fiction, but frequently also more tragic than any tragedy ever conceived by the most fervid imagination. Often in these tragedies of life there is not one drop of blood to make us shudder, nor a single event to compel the tears into the eye. A man endowed with an intellect far above the average, impelled by a high-soaring ambition, untainted by any petty or ignoble passion, and guided by a character of sterling firmness and more than common purity, yet, with fatal illusion, devoting all…

    • 1708 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The 2007 Film Into the Wild tells the story of Chris McCandless, an unsatisfied college graduate who leaves his family and promising future behind to live a life of isolation in the Alaskan wilderness. While John Krakauer’s essay “Death of an Innocent” portrays Chris is an extremely heroic light by likening him to “a monk gone to God,” Into the Wild leaves much more room for debate by presenting Chris as selfish and detached. Chris, however, is not the only character whose actions can be interpreted as heroic or not. The peripheral female characters also act in ways that put themselves at risk. While the female characters take personal risks to fulfill their need for relationships, Chris takes selfishly motivated physical chances, ultimately disregarding all human relationships; this binary begs the question then of which is more heroic—truly caring about people and empathizing? Or being independent and avoiding emotional engagement?…

    • 2190 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Copyright of this work is the property of Salem Press and its content may not be copied without the copyright holder 's express written permission except for the print or download capabilities of the retrieval software used for access. This content is intended solely for the use of the individual user.…

    • 1676 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    From the start of both Perrault’s and Dahl’s tales, the purpose of each author becomes…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    to town,” stating the loss of control she felt about the problem that was put on her, by blaming…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Roman Fever Setting Essay

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages

    When Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade spot one another on the same terrace they had originally met on, they find that undefinable tension from betrayal is still in the afternoon light around them. Their seemingly friendly demeanor is slowly overturned by their ever-haunting pasts, driving them to reveal almost deadly secrets. “The sun’s set. You’re not afraid, my dear?” is the question Alida Slade asks Grace Ansley, which is referring to the darkness that surrounds them, leading the ladies into one another’s dark minds. The darkness has a connotation for secrets in two ways between the women: an exciting rendezvous, for Grace, and for Alida, the ultimate betrayal by her late husband and one of her close friends. However, the light that comes from the moon, opens Grace’s eyes as to what has been troubling Alida for so many years.…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the first literal work, “The Necklace” by de Maupassant, the author utilizes a story format in presenting the themes outlined within the literature. In this story, Guy de Maupassant successfully manages to bring out a flavor to all the stories described within the literature work. In this literal piece of work, the author writes about ordinary people through an analytical story that looks quite unforgettable, and paints their lives in different colors that are fully enriched with acts of marriage, adultery, prostitution, war, and murder (Maupassant, & Kelley, 2004).…

    • 2483 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Pedestrian

    • 1233 Words
    • 5 Pages

    This short story is an example of Dystopian fiction – dealing with a society that embodies a flawed perfection – achieved at a cost.…

    • 1233 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gone with the Wind

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In a southern town known as Tara; Scarlet (main character) has her eyes set on a man named Ashley. Hearing that the apple of her eye is now marrying his cousin she was in denial. Scarlet states “He can’t possibly love her? He loves me!” She rations a way to stop the wedding; she thinks if she tells him that she loves him, he will not marry his cousin Melony. As she vented about how much she cared and loved him; he tried to block the conversation. Ashley states “I care but can’t we go away and forget we said this?”(Page 7) She now knows how he feels but he still insists on marrying Melony. Trying to hatch another plan; Melony’s brother William, asked Scarlet to take his hand in marriage. Observing the situation, she attempts to make Ashley jealous by marrying him; however, it did not work. William was sent to war right after the wedding where he eventually died. Scarlet went to Atlanta in mourning of her late husband, knowing that Ashley; her true love would be there at his base camp. To a shocking surprise he was not there,…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this story the author provided the best portrait of human nature, a woman’s heart. The author manages to boost the reader’s undivided attention from start to finish.…

    • 1013 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The End of The Affiar

    • 666 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In The End of the Affair, Graham Greene presents to us a complex romantic triangle between Sarah Miles (the kind-hearted adulteress), her suspicious yet ever-loving husband Henry, and Maurice Bendrix, Sarah’s passionate lover. However, as the novel progresses, a new character is introduced into this love trio: God. One might even say that God is not just introduced, but actually replaces Henry in the intricate triangle. Not only does God touch Sarah in an intimate, spiritual way, He also touches Bendrix, the ultimate non-believer. God breaks apart Sarah and Bendrix’s powerful and passionate relationship, and also challenges and invites Sarah to believe in Him, and in love. Throughout The End of the Affair, He directly touches Sarah through her willingness to believe, while also indirectly affecting Bendrix, through Sarah.…

    • 666 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays