The End of the Affair

Well, I just recently finished The End of the Affair by Graham Greene, which I was urged to read by both Anne and Mary. I like Graham Greene, so I determined to read it when I had a free couple of days. Yet, I've kind of avoided posting about it because it was a complex book and I wanted to do it justice when I write on it.

First, I think the book was great. Greene has a way of presenting Catholicism with realistic grit without disrespect. He takes off the rose-colored Catholic glasses that I think many people have glued to their eyes. Yet, Greene never causes a person to loose hope. In fact, he inspires it. It's just that his writing is not so clear cut and heavy handed that it smacks you in the face with probity and piety. Mary once said that Greene, in The End of the Affair, leaves the door open for salvation. I think that description is fitting. Yes, the people in this book are not good people at the beginning, and most of them are not good in the end. But the change is set in motion, and I really believe that Sarah was a saint by the time she died. There is overwhelming evidence for this in the book, so I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks this. What I enjoyed about Sarah's conversion and move to holiness is that it was gradual. It started at 2 when she was baptized and ended when her life ended. It was an immense struggle for her, and it was one that readers were not always sure would end happily. I think this is the most accurate description of conversion. Now, I like to read the lives of the saints, but sometimes when I read them it seems that the saints were either born that way, or the clouds just opened up one day and they decided to change. I know this isn't the way, but its how it seems sometimes. Greene presents the setbacks, the screeching halts, and the human side of the path to holiness.

So, we know that Sarah was a saint, but what about Bendrix, Smythe, Henry and the rest of them. Well, Bendrix is the hardest to figure out. At the end of the book he seems even more bitter and evil than he was at the beginning (if that is even possible). Yet, throughout the book he commonly mistakes love for hate and hate for disbelief. He says he hates Sarah, but he never really does. He says he doesn't believe in God, but really he just hates Him. At the end, Bendrix acknowledges his love for Sarah. He doesn't acknowledge his belief in God, but the disbelief is really hate. And in The End of the Affair, hate is only a millimeter away from love. I'm not going to wrap everything up in a nice bundle and say that Bendrix will definitely convert. We don't know, but we do know that the door is open. Smythe and Henry are closer to conversion and Parkis is in the bag. So here we have a novel that seems so bleak and grim, yet it embodies so much hope.

If I had to choose my favorite between The Power and the Glory and The End of the Affair, I would still choose P&G right now, though I have a feeling that it might change over time. If I had to choose what book is of better literary quality, it would be EA hands down. For me, it's the same as choosing between the Odyssey and the Iliad. The former is more fun and exciting to read, but the latter encompasses so many more complex emotions and themes.

I'll continue to read more Greene (I'm reading The Quiet American now) to see how the rest of his novels, plays, and even children's books stack up to the novels above. If any of you have read any of Greene's work comment and tell me what you think of it. If you haven't read any, I suggest you do.