Heart of the Matter - How does Major Henry Scobie's private passion conflict with his moral obligation
Major Henry Scobie is a highly principled police officer who has been overlooked for promotion to the Commissioner ship of a war-torn West African state. His wife, Louise, is utterly disappointed in the fact of his being passed over for commissioner, because she hoped to gain status in the social structure of the city as the wife of the District Commissioner. As a moral obligation and responsibility to make Louise happy, he sends her off on a holiday. Her reminder for him to attend mass on Sundays proves an important choice of parting words. While away, Scobie finds love in a young widow, Helen, whom he helped to save. He goes to great lengths to cover up any physical evidence of their encounters, but his religious beliefs still haunt him. Scobie allows his religious convictions and fear of damnation to ultimately destroy all he holds true when his inability to distinguish between love, pity, and responsibility to others and God, leads to his torment between "private passion" and moral obligation, and to his final damnation. Scobie considers his wife as his moral obligation and will do anything to make her happy. When trying to find the money to send her on her holiday, Louise begins to doubt his ability to get the passage , bu
t in response he says, "I'll try and work something out. You know if it's possible I'd do anything for you -- anything." His sense of love toward her is more of an inherited responsibility of marriage -- to do anything to make her happy. Even at the cost of his peace of mind. He would be constantly tormented by thoughts such as: "If I could just arrange for her happiness first...." His devotion for Louise's happiness would conflict even during her holiday. He (Wilson) said bitterly, "A moment ago you said he didn't love you." Being tormented by his hidden love of God, he leads himself to his final damnation -- death. His death was carefully planned out, a suicide, and one of the greatest sins in Catholicism. He could not distinguish between his love and responsibility -- his "private passion" and his "moral obligation," and his strong beliefs in his wrong doings lead to his downfall, in a period when he could have had success as the new District Commissioner of his West-African state. Louise has grown to love Scobie over the years, but Scobie has not had the same feelings toward her. She understands that side of him and accepts that his "I love you's" are empty hearted. In a discussion with Wilson, a telegraph reporter, she says: After his love affair continued, Louise sends a telegraph stating that she will return soon. Scobie's "private passion" is soon in danger when his "moral obligation" arrives. The internal conflict within Scobie soon begins to build. His devotion to Catholicism begins to tear at him, beginning his fear of damnati
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1052
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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