Existence And Nothingness

Graham Greene (1904-1991) is a remarkable British writer of the20th century. The background of most his early works is set in the fortieth or fifties, which witnessed a rapid development of existentialism. Greene’s works explore the problems confronted by human beings in life in all aspects and he shows special concerns over the conflicts between the society and the individual and also his preoccupation with the meaning and state of the existence of human beings. His early novel The Heart of the Matter is not merely confined to a reflection of reality, but also a revelation of Green’s thinking of the state in which man exists.The sense of loneliness of the protagonist Scobie which finally escalates into despair and the loneliness and impotence in confrontation of the environment can be seen in almost everywhere of the novel. Scobie’s dilemma forces us to seek the answer to the question of how man should exist. Many existentialists including Heidegger maintain that human beings are faced with "nothingness". They are destined to live in a state of loneliness and suffering, which, in the final analysis, derives from the absurd world.As a modern man on conflict, Scobie is caught between the adverse circumstances and his god will. Jean-Paul Sartre, the master of existentialism, believes that the deeper man digs the hole of predicament, the more anguished man feels. The only way out is either "free choice" or death. Scobie’s final choice of committing suicide is a best illustration of his disappointment with God and his despair of life.