Summary
The Heart of the Matter is an acclaimed 1948 novel by English author Graham Greene. Set in West Africa during World War II, it tells the story of Henry Scobie, a British colonial police officer whose moral crisis leads him down a path of betrayal, adultery, and spiritual torment. Greene drew on his experiences as a British intelligence officer in Sierra Leone to create the oppressive tropical setting that serves as a backdrop to Scobie's inner turmoil. Praised for its complex exploration of Catholic themes such as sin, guilt and redemption, The Heart of the Matter won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and is widely recognized as one of the best novels of the 20th century.
Plot
Set in a British colony in West Africa during World War II, The Heart of the Matter follows Major Henry Scobie, a police officer responsible for local security. Scobie's wife, Louise, is deeply unhappy with their life in the colony. When Scobie is passed over for a promotion, Louise asks to move to South Africa. Unable to secure a bank loan for her passage, Scobie reluctantly borrows money from Yusef, a local black marketeer.
Scobie's life takes a dramatic turn when survivors of a shipwreck arrive, including a young widow named Helen Rolt. Despite his Catholic faith and marriage vows, Scobie begins a passionate affair with Helen. Meanwhile, a new inspector named Wilson develops feelings for Louise. Scobie's moral compromises deepen when Yusef blackmails him into smuggling diamonds, using a letter Scobie wrote to Helen.
Scobie is torn between his commitments to Louise and Helen, and wracked with guilt over his sins. His spiral continues when he suspects his longtime servant Ali of betrayal. After confiding in Yusef, Ali is killed by local teenagers, leaving Scobie consumed by guilt and seeing no way out of his predicament.
Believing he can free everyone—including God— from himself, Scobie ultimately commits suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. The novel concludes with Louise speaking to a priest, trying to reconcile Scobie's suicide with his Catholic faith. The priest reminds her that no one can truly know what's in a person's heart or the extent of God's mercy.
Themes
Moral ambiguity and ethical dilemmas
Catholic guilt and religious doubt
Loneliness and alienation in colonial Africa
Corruption and the abuse of power
Love, passion, and marital dissatisfaction
Self-sacrifice and responsibility
The struggle between duty and personal desires
Setting
Set during World War II, The Heart of the Matter unfolds in a British colony on the west coast of Africa. While the specific location is not named in the novel, Graham Greene later confirmed it was based on Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he had served as an intelligence officer. The oppressive tropical climate plays a significant role, with the intense heat and humidity weighing heavily on the characters throughout the story.
The novel's setting reflects the complex dynamics of colonial rule in wartime Africa. Major Scobie, the protagonist, navigates a world where British officials, local residents, and foreign merchants maintain an uneasy coexistence. The colonial town serves as a microcosm of larger geopolitical tensions, with issues of loyalty, corruption, and moral compromise playing out against the backdrop of global conflict.
Specific locations within the unnamed colony feature prominently in the story. These include the port, where Scobie conducts inspections of incoming ships, and the inland town, where he investigates a fellow officer's suicide. The contrast between the coastal settlement and the more remote interior highlights the isolation experienced by the characters. Europeans trapped in a foreign land far from home during a time of international upheaval.
Characters
Major Henry Scobie: The protagonist, a deputy police commissioner in a British West African colony. Scobie is a devout Catholic torn between his sense of duty to his wife, Louise, and his affair with Helen. His struggles with morality and faith ultimately lead to his downfall. Despite his flaws, Scobie is driven by a desire to alleviate others' suffering.
Louise Scobie: Henry's wife, a devout Catholic who feels isolated and unhappy in the colony. Louise's discontent puts pressure on Scobie and contributes to his moral crisis. She is aware of her husband's infidelity but chooses to remain in denial.
Helen Rolt: A young widow who becomes Scobie's mistress. Helen is vulnerable and naive, clinging to Scobie for comfort after surviving a shipwreck. Their affair further complicates Scobie's moral dilemma.
Wilson: A newly arrived British intelligence officer who falls in love with Louise. Wilson's presence adds tension to Henry and Louise’s marriage and serves as a catalyst for some of the plot's developments.
Yusef: A Syrian trader and black marketeer who manipulates Scobie. Yusef blackmails Scobie and draws him into corrupt activities, exacerbating Scobie's inner turmoil.
Ali: Scobie's loyal servant. Ali's death, possibly orchestrated by Yusef, adds to Scobie's guilt and despair.
Father Rank: The local Catholic priest, who offers spiritual guidance to Scobie. He represents the Church's teachings on morality and faith.
Harris: Wilson's housemate, known for his peculiar hobby of killing cockroaches. Harris provides some comic relief in the novel.
Catherine Scobie: Henry and Louise's deceased daughter. Though not physically present, Catherine's memory influences Scobie's actions and emotional state.
Quick facts
The Heart of the Matter is set in Sierra Leone during World War II, drawing on author Graham Greene's own experiences working there for British intelligence.
The main character, Major Henry Scobie, was partly inspired by Greene's real-life friend in Freetown, a police officer named Inspector Scobie.
The novel's exploration of Catholic guilt and moral dilemmas reflected Greene's own conflicted relationship with his faith.
Greene wrote much of the novel while staying at the Bedford Hotel in Brighton, England.
The Heart of the Matter sold more than 300,000 copies in the UK upon its release, making it one of Greene's most commercially successful novels.
The novel won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction in 1948, the year it was published.
The title comes from a line that appears halfway through the book, “If one knew, he wondered, the facts, would one have to feel pity even for the planets? If one reached what they called the heart of the matter?"
George Orwell criticized the book for what he perceived as Catholic snobbery, writing that Greene “appears to share the idea...that there is something distingué in being damned."
The novel was adapted into a film in 1953, starring Trevor Howard as Scobie.
In 1998, The Heart of the Matter was ranked 40th on the Modern Library's list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.
About the Author
Graham Greene (1904-1991) was one of the most acclaimed English novelists of the 20th century. Over a career spanning nearly seven decades, he wrote more than 25 novels, many of which explored moral and political issues through a Catholic lens, inspiring William Golding to describe him as “the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man's consciousness and anxiety."
Catholicism played a major role in Greene's life and work, though his relationship with the faith was complex. He converted to Catholicism in 1926 before marrying his wife Vivien, but later described himself as a “Catholic agnostic.” Religious themes of sin, morality and redemption permeate many of his best known novels, including Brighton Rock, The Power and the Glory, and The End of the Affair.
In addition to his literary works, Greene wrote several lighter “entertainments” or thrillers. Many of his stories were adapted into films, with Greene collaborating on screenplays like The Third Man. His writing was influenced by his extensive travels to places from Mexico to Africa to Vietnam, leading to the coining of the term “Greeneland” to describe the exotic, morally ambiguous settings of his novels.
Greene was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature multiple times and received other prestigious accolades, including the 1968 Shakespeare Prize and 1981 Jerusalem Prize. He died in Switzerland at age 86.
