The Heart of the Matter: Character Mind Map & Summary
Graham Greene’s The Heart of the Matter: Scobie, pity, sin, the key characters, a quick summary and the exam facts.
The Character Mind Map
Tap any name to open the details.
Major Henry Scobie
An honest Deputy Commissioner of Police in a British West African colony during World War II. A devout Catholic, he is driven by pity and responsibility. To send his unhappy wife away he borrows money from a crooked trader, falls in love with a young widow, takes communion in mortal sin, and finally kills himself to stop hurting others and God.
Fate: suicide, disguised as heart failure💔 Two Women
Pity & loveLouise ScobieScobie’s wife
Role: Unhappy and lonely; she longs to leave. She returns from South Africa and knows about Helen.
Helen RoltA young widow
Role: Survives a shipwreck; Scobie’s pity becomes an affair.
👁️ The Watchers
CorruptionYusefA Syrian trader
Role: Lends Scobie money and later blackmails him; his men kill Ali.
WilsonA secret agent
Role: Loves Louise and spies on Scobie.
AliScobie’s loyal servant
Role: Murdered after Scobie suspects him.
Memory Hook: Pity Leads to Sin
Each step down begins with pity.
Key Points
What exams usually ask about.
Quick Summary
The plot in five lines.
Stage 1Passed Over
- Scobie is not made Commissioner; Louise wants to go to South Africa.
Stage 2The Loan
- He borrows from Yusef to send her; a Portuguese captain’s letter tests his honesty.
Stage 3Helen
- Survivors of a shipwreck arrive; Scobie and Helen begin an affair.
Stage 4Sin
- Louise returns; Scobie takes communion in sin; Ali is killed.
Stage 5Death
- Scobie dies by an overdose; Louise learns the truth.
Must-Know Exam Facts
Quick points for UGC NET, SET and PGT.
Publication
Published in 1948.
Catholic Novel
One of Greene’s four great Catholic novels; Orwell criticised its theology.
Setting
A West African colony during World War II.
Pity
Pity is shown as a dangerous, proud emotion.
Key Themes
Pity and responsibility, sin and salvation, corruption, and suicide.
100+ Key Works of English Literature
All the character mind maps in one printed book.
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