THE HEART OF THE MATTER

In the novel, Greene divides his exploration of religion into two separate planes. There are the rituals and teachings of the Catholic Church and then, there is the private relationship that exists between God and man. The Church provides rules, structure, and order, but Greene suggests that organized religion cannot account for all the complexities of the human condition. Scobie's relationship with God defines him and leads him to choose suicide in order to avoid a life in which he flouts the principles of the Church. However, Father Rank suggests that God understands that Scobie's suicide was ultimately a result of his overwhelming faith. Greene makes the controversial assertion that the Church's definition of faith is limited and that God may bend some of his "rules" for his children. While Louise is the character that actually follows the Church's rituals, Scobie cannot even bear to keep living with the realization that he has disappointed God.