Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
Brighton Rock by Graham GreeneGraham Greene: Brighton Rock
Introduction
The purpose of this study guide is to help you find your way around the text, and to introduce subjects which may be set by examiners. It is not a substitute for close study of the novel. Ideas presented here need to be supported by textual reference (either summary of narrative detail or brief direct quotation, as appropriate; do not quote at length: you gain no credit for this in an “open book” exam, the point of the reference will not be clear, and you are wasting time!).
It is assumed by the examiners that literature is a humane subject; that is, that books set for study explore and interpret values and attitudes in the real world, although they must also be judged in their own right as imaginative works depicting an alternative reality or alternative view of the world. Broadly speaking, students are asked to examine works in terms of their content (what they are about) and the author’s technique (how they are composed). While it is hoped that students will enjoy studying these things, it is recognized that this enjoyment will rarely be simple or immediate in the case of demanding texts. Students are encouraged to develop maturity as readers, to discover the historical and cultural diversity of western literature, with some of its history; to recognize different literary forms, genres and conventions. Personal and independent judgements are encouraged, but should be made against a background of familiarity with established or current attitudes. It is impossible to “teach” this entirely within lesson time; private reading, directed by a teacher or other well-read person, is essential.
Brighton Rock: what is it about?
At one level, this novel is a simple, if elegant, thriller: Ida Arnold, an unlikely heroine, pursues the evil but failed gangster Pinkie Brown; she seeks his punishment, while trying to save from his influence the young woman, Rose, whom Pinkie has married to buy her silence. In these terms, with vivid but usually straightforward characters and well-drawn locations, and the shocking conclusion (the reader is aware of Rose’s imminent discovery of Pinkie’s hatred) the novel shows why it achieved great popularity, and why it was successfully adapted for the cinema. Unlike some classic works, it obeys the convention of popular fiction, that there should be a well-paced and exciting story; “suspense” is also provided by the reader’s concern for the perhaps doomed Rose. But why is the novel also considered to be serious fiction, or a “modern classic”? This is a little less obvious, but we can find reasons for this opinion, if we look.
Like many writers from earlier times, Greene is deeply interested in what could be called metaphysical questions: about the real nature and purpose of this world, about the nature or existence, even, of God; about man’s freedom, by his own efforts, to alter his circumstances - or lack of this freedom. In order to address these arguments,...
To view the complete essay, you be registered.