Teacher Guide

The Heart of the Matter Lesson Plan

Introduction to The Heart of the Matter

Published in 1948, The Heart of the Matter was an early-ish novel by the extremely prolific Graham Greene. He based the colonial official characters and the West African setting on his own World War II posting as a secret service agent in Sierra Leone. The novel's protagonist, police chief Henry Scobie, is a classic Greene anti-hero: Catholic, dutiful, tragic, tortured. Scobie feels at home after fifteen years in his unnamed town, and yet he still knows so little of the world both inside and outside his own (sometimes fevered) head. His lack of understanding ultimately proves tragic when he can not square his actions (especially adultery) with his Catholic morality and British sense of...

Join Now to View Premium Content

GradeSaver provides access to 2368 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 11018 literature essays, 2792 sample college application essays, 926 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, “Members Only” section of the site! Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders.

Join Now

Already a member? Log in