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The Heart of the Matter Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of The Heart of the Matter


Religious convictions and love and pity for 2 women force main character to choose not romance but suicide in an attempt to free both women from sadness.
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The review of this Book prepared by Dan




In The Heart of the Matter, Graham Greene lays out a situation where a man who is a believing Roman Catholic takes his own life, rather than face up to what his life has become. As a government agent/diplomat in an African country, he has responsibilities to carry out with little in the way of resources to help him and he has been involved both with corruption and adultery. The constant illnesses he faces mixed with legal pursuit of his corruption and his wife's impending arrival and its effect on his adultery leads him to take the coward's way out - he kills himself.
The review of this Book prepared by Kelly Whiting



Chapter Analysis of The Heart of the Matter

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Plot & Themes

Tone of book?    -   depressed    -   thoughtful Time/era of story    -   1900-1920's Romance/Romance Problems    -   Yes Poverty, surviving    -   Yes Kind of living:    -   general poverty story Internal struggle/realization?    -   Yes Struggle over    -   midlife crisis    -   vague finding self/purpose in life (i.e. no plot to book) Is this an adult or child's book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book Job/Profession/Status story    -   Yes Drinking/Drugs problems?    -   alcohol Married, fooling around?    -   Yes

Main Character

Gender    -   Male Profession/status:    -   diplomat    -   police/lawman Age:    -   40's-50's Ethnicity/Nationality    -   White (American)

Setting

How much descriptions of surroundings?    -   7 () Africa    -   Yes Kind of Africa:    -   Black Africa Jungles?    -   Yes Small town?    -   Yes Misc setting    -   fancy mansion    -   prison    -   resort/hotel    -   fort/military installation

Writing Style

Sex in book?    -   Yes What kind of sex:    -   vague references only    -   descript of kissing Amount of dialog    -   roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

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Graham Greene Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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