Greene uses the marriage of Pinkie and Rose to show Pinkies final descent into true pathological evil. This is supported by numerous quotes that show Pinkies realisation that now his damnation is certain, he is somewhat free. “Now it was as if he was damned already and there was nothing more to fear ever again”. The use of strong and absolute language such as “damned” “nothing” and “ever again” shows the solidarity in Pinkie’s mind to the idea that now he can’t escape God’s punishment, he cannot be controlled by his fear of God. This shows the reader that although Pinkie was once redeemable, he is now beyond redemption. The location of the quote just after Pinkie and Rose have consummated their marriage shows this was Pinkie’s immediate thought. This shows the importance of the afterlife to Pinkie. The immediacy of this thought shows the corruption of Pinkie and Rose’s marriage as Pinkie’s thoughts about Rose are only brief, his contemplation on damnation and how the act affects only he shows how he is an unfit husband. The narrative voice is focalised through Pinkie and this allows Greene to show that Pinkie has now crossed into a realm where the threat of damnation is no longer controlling him. This lack of fear will prove evident later on in the book as Pinkie’s acts become more vicious.
Greene may have chosen to present the wedding like this to demonstrate Pinkie’s disturbed psyche and how, despite the numerous evil things that he has done, regards this as the worst. This is evident in the quote “he had a sense now that the murders of Hale and Spicer were trivial acts, a boy’s game, and that he had put away childish things. Murder only had led up to this – this corruption”. The word “corruption” is significant as it implies that before he was pure and that because of this act, which is regarded by many to be one of love, has lost this perceived purity when he marries Rose who can be seen to represent innocence and purity. This also demonstrates his disturbed psyche as religious people regard murder and blackmail as a sin and that people who do this have been corrupted by the devil so by describing himself as being “corrupted” it could imply that he believes the devil to be his God as Rose represents innocence so to have been “corrupted” by this shows how he regards innocence with disregard in favour of experience, “there was no innocence… innocence was a slobbering mouth, a toothless gum pulling at the teats; perhaps not even that; innocence was the ugly cry of birth”. The phrase “had led up to this” implies that it is the natural progression of things and is inescapable so by regarding this with repulsion shows that while me may be seen to represent evil and corruption himself, he still believes that there is a limit to what he should do despite it being inevitable, “it was as if he was being driven down too far down a road that he only wanted to travel a certain distance”, however the word “only” implies that this is just the beginning and that he is preparing himself for more. This quote also shows how he now regards murder to be something that a child could do; instead believing that he has now progressed to a level that adults are in and that he is now better than murder, seeing manipulation as the next logical step. Greene may have done this to show the contrasting traits that Pinkie possesses, where he believes he will be punished for his sins but still has a limit to what he is prepared to do, and may foreshadow how these conflicting traits may become more prominent due to his closer relationship with Rose.
Greene presents Rose and Pinkies wedding as corrupt, and the complete opposite of what a usual wedding should be like, this emphasis's the flawed relationship Pinkie and Rose have, the wedding is very formal and there is nothing remotely pleasant about it. 'We don't need a ring.' The boy said. 'This isn't a church.' This quote shows how this 'wedding' lacks one of the most significant symbols of a wedding; a ring. Also the phrase 'this isn't a church' shows Pinkies disregarded of religion and how he bends it to suit him, a wedding is a religious ceremony but to him he's manipulated it to not be, this could be one of the reasons Pinkie describes marriage as a 'mortal sin' as he has disregarded the catholic ceremony. Another reason Pinkie describes marriage as the 'greatest sin' is due to weight that comes with being married, there is a sense of emotional attachment which terrifies him, because he believes people do not know him therefore they cannot judge him, but now he has become venerable to Rose as he has had to open himself up to her. 'He had no doubt that whatever that this was mortal sin, and he was filled with a kind of gloomy, hilarity and pride.' The word 'filled' suggests that this whole idea and situation is overwhelming and the fact he feels 'pride' in something so wrong, suggests he cannot help but in enjoy the idea of mortal sin despite the consequence. The fact Pinkie feels 'pride' links to the Devils fall as pride is the worst sin, this foreshadows that Pinkies pride could get the better of him and maybe has already.
Greene presents Pinkie and Roses marriage in such a corrupt manner to highlight to the reader the damaging relationship that both characters are sealing in wedlock and how Pinkies inner evil manages to damage and destroy something even as pure as the joining of two people in marriage. The quote ‘Now it was as if he was dammed already and there was nothing to fear ever again.’ Presents Pinkie to the reader as entirely emotionless and twisted as a person due to the fact that he totally disregards the fact that he has just been married; something that many dream about and think will be the happiest moment of their life, and thinks only about the misplaced new found sense of freedom that he experiences from realizing that he has committed a mortal sin and that his fate is sealed in damnation. This gives the reader a real insight into the character of Pinkie and how he operates, he is presented as a twisted and sadistic boy who has no fear in hell or the unknown and takes pleasure in pure evil, this is emphasized vividly by Greene as he contrasts the common perception of a happy wedding day to the sad and emotionless wedding of Pinkie and Rose.
Greene has chosen to present the marriage of Pinkie and Rose and its aftermath in such a way to emphasise Pinkie's descent into damnation. For instance, just before their marriage ceremony it is described by Greene as being, " like fire to a metal or a touch of velvet to a sore hand." This shows a harsh juxtaposition between the 'fire and metal' and 'velvet and sore hand,' which emphasises the contrasts between Pinkie and Rose within their relationship. Pinkie might be portrayed by Greene as being the harsher of the two symbols, in the fire and metal, Pinkie could be seen as being the fire trying to shape Rose like a metal and in the other symbols Pinkie contrasts with this being seen as the 'sore hand' that when even touched with the smoothest feeling of velvet - like Rose's gentle nature - he cannot take it. This insinuates how Pinkie is, as the book progresses, being forced further in to his evil nature, the marriage of the two very opposite natures continuing his descent in to damnation. The fact that this sentence is short and straight to the point infers to the reader how Greene's intentions is to show how obvious these contrasts are between him and Rose. The third person perspective allowing the omniscient narrator to make this aware to the reader and make the reader question why Pinkie continues to do more harm than good - why marry Rose? Pinkie is even shown to know this as he states, "This was hell then it wasn't anything to worry about just his own familiar room." The familiarity of hell with the comparison of his own room encompasses how his descent is gradually getting steeper and that he is seeing similarities with the immortal pains of hell and with the own 'comfort' of his room. All of this relating to the ongoing theme of "heaven versus hell" as Rose could be implied as being the good to Pinkies Evil nature and in the case of their marriage the heaven to his hell. Greene showing how Pinkie rules over Rose and will continue to do so in the marriage - just as Pinkie believes in more of the idea of hell - emphasising how hell in his eyes has a greater hold over heaven, again demonstrating his deeper descent in to damnation. -Amy Freeman
Greene has chosen to present Pinkie and Rose’s marriage and the aftermath in a corrupt and detached manner in order to convey Pinkie’s transition into damnation. During the ceremony and aftermath of their marriage, Pinkie refers to marrying rose illegally as a “mortal sin” and then goes on to explain that “murder had only led up to this-this corruption. He was filled with awe at his own powers”. This quote conveys to the reader that despite his evil actions of murder, he feels his is only judged by his religious actions. Greene uses the word “corruption” which has connotations of atrocity, evil and extortion, to suggest that due to his and Rose’s marriage being a “mortal sin”, it is his most evil and “corrupt” act he has done in terms of religious consequences. The use of the dash in this quote raises the significance and impact on the reader of the phrase “this corruption” and almost suggests that he takes pride in this high status/power of corruption. The use of the words “awe” and “power” have religious connotations of God or someone of higher power, suggesting to reader that Pinkie feels this new found authority is due to him manipulating religion to satisfy his needs: he feels he has played God by disregarding and disrespecting Christian customs. The use of the focalisation through Pinkie in this quote as well throughout the chapter about their marriage and the aftermath could symbolise Pinkie’s new found ‘God-like’ power due to him committing a mortal sin. The significance of him committing this “mortal sin” in their marriage and why Greene has chosen to present this is that Pinkie believes he is now eternally damned so therefore his future actions within the novel may become more evil and irrelevant to Pinkie due to him already committing the worst act thinkable (the mortal sin) and him already knowing his eternal fate.
Greene has decided to 'corrupt' the wedding of Pinkie and Rose to not only emphasize the importance of this mortal sin they are performing but also Greene highlights another way in which it could be see as Pinkie is going directly against heaven and with it, God. The narrative voice plays a key role in this section of the novel as it uses phrases that reveal a lot not only about Pinkies intentions but also it gives the reader a window into Pinkies psyche. The narrator uses a scriptural quote when commenting on Pinkies transition from small petty activities to crime and also violence; "he had put away childish things" suggests that this mortal sin is even above the murders he has committed in terms of his way to damnation. It goes on to state that Pinkie "was filled with awe at his own powers" which resembles Pinkies pride (a motif that is referred to multiple times throughout the book) which interestingly, is often regarded as the greatest spiritual sin as it is said to separate man from God and also which played a big role in the downfall of satan- also known as the Angel Lucifer. As well as this Greene comments on Pinkies thoughts the morning after the wedding with the realisation that he is now married and the registry office wedding was "as irrevocable as a sacrament. Only death would set him free" this quote shows how even though Pinkie should be feeling overjoyed at the fact of being married, he still resents it and believes he is now not free, untill the moment of his death. -Tom Brooks
Greene has presented the marriage of Pinkie and Rose and its aftermath as damned and corrupt to illustrate Pinkie’s downfall and decent in to Damnation. “His temporal safety in return for two immortalities of pain. He had no doubt this was mortal sin, and was filled with a gloomy hilarity and pride.” Pinkie’s belief throughout Brighton Rock is that his sins can be forgiven by repent, but this “mortal sin” is unforgiveable and therefore cannot be redeemed. Despite him performing the only Christian thing he has ever done, Pinkie has twisted and corrupted the act by his bad intentions and manipulation of the marriage to meet his own selfish needs. He has given a bad name to marriage, defying “God” himself, making his sin unforgiveable. This ultimately determines the idea that Pinkie’s fate rests in hell. Arguably some may say that Pinkie’s damnation is not of the afterlife but of him. He refuses to have any emotional attachment as it means people do not have the opportunity to dislike him as they cannot judge him, but by allowing Rose to enter his life he is allowing her to judge him, which is his personal view of hell. The idea that Pinkie shows signs of “pride” despite his inhumane actions is emblematic of how Pinkie continues to show no remorse for his mortal sins and that he is accepting of his inevitable fate of damnation. These contradicting ideas of hell both support the idea that the union of Pinkie and Rose is reflective of the fate of Pinkie’s future life. Natasha Syed
Graham Greene does manipulate the marriage of Pinkie and Rose to emphasise the consequential, and eventual descent of Pinkie toward definite evil, whereby a cold detachment is further intensified. Within Part 6 there are a many number of quotations of which demonstrate Pinkie’s complete understanding, and realisation that damnation is inevitable, though does suppress this burden, and as a consequence Pinkie is, to an extent, of self-acceptance. ‘Now it was as if he was damned already and there was nothing more to fear ever again’. Explicit, and definitive language does express the conclusive acceptance of the ideology that Pinkie cannot avoid the judgement, and eventual retribution of God, and therefore can neither be conformed by the contemporary apprehension of God. This quotation is soon after the finalisation of the marriage, demonstrating the significance of this, as it was the immediate thought of Pinkie, presenting such of the afterlife. The thought, also, does expose the corrupt relationship and, too, marriage of Pinkie, and Rose. Pinkie has an insignificant response toward Rose, whereas the narrative voice, that of Pinkie, does emphasise upon damnation. The narrative voice does enable Greene to present the perspective that the retribution of God does not influence the behaviour of Pinkie. - Ben Spicer
Greene has manipulated the marriage of Pinkie and Rose to make it appear as "damned" and to show Pinkies final descent into evil after the marriage in Pinkies eyes this is the last straw with regards to his soul and his sin. Greene presents the marriage as very formal and unaffectionate, this is to highlight Pinkies hatred for Rose and his inability to show effection. It also shows Pinkies desire to fit in, in a world which while he hates he has a deep desire to fit in and be normal, hence the marriage to Rose." like fire to a metal or a touch of velvet to a sore hand." The juxtaposition between the "metal" and "velvet" reflects Pinkie and Roses relationship and the contact between good and evil and innocence vs corruption. It could also show that Pinkie is trying to shape Rose like a metal, in his attempt to corrupt her and to assert absolute control over her the same way he does with his Gang. The narrative voice enables Greene to portray God and show how little influence religion has on Pinkie.
Greene intentionally highlights his contortions of the traditional wedding ceremony, and draws attention to Pinkie's views on damnation, which has previously been glossed over, to the aim to giving an insight into the character. Pinkie has shown ability to murder without, apparently, a second thought, and yet is devastated and nerve-wracked at the prospect of a 'marriage' and the idea of consummating without a proper catholic marriage. "Now it was as if he was damned already and there was nothing to fear ever again" This quote demonstrates that this is the most difficult/horrendous thing that Pinkie has ever done, as before he has referred to assumptions of being damned, or an indifference to the matter, yet here he states acknowledgement, accompanied by a sense of release. The contrast of things he does and does not care about reinforces the idea of him being an emotionless and twisted individual, which is somewhat a disappointment after the very human emotion displayed in his nervousness before marriage, revealed now that it was for different reasons to why others might feel similarly. The majority of people feel relief and rejoice after a marriage, Pinkie somewhat mimics these feelings, yet is motivated by a sinister realisation that he has nothing to lose, to him he has committed that one final act of which there is no return, sealing himself to a fate of damnation. Greene gave the audience false hope before he changed the fabric of a traditional marriage, the bride being late and the groom being nervous, these are images that we can connect to on a human level of understanding, Greene intelligently compares this opening with the rest of the chapter, snapping the audience back to the reality of the grotesque character of Pinkie, reiterating all of the qualities which everyone was already aware of, stronger, and more sinister than ever. - Ed Hobson
Greene uses marriage to contrast the reality of the wedding ceremony to the traditional aspects that surround marriage. For example, marriage is traditionally perceived to be a happy, new beginning for a couple whilst in Brighton Rock, Pinkie and Rose's wedding is presented to be the dawn of a vicious, detrimental relationship that is all built around Pinkie trying to silence a witness. One way in which the marriage is directly juxtaposed is through the exchanging of the vowels in which couples show care for each over whilst this contrasts to the message Pinkie records for Rose on the gramophone which is aggressive and harmful. This is seen in the quote, "God damn you, you little bitch, why can't you go back home for ever and let me be?"
Greene presents the wedding of the damaging relationship of Pinkie and Rose in such a way to signify to the reader how great and evil Pinkie see it as. The quotation “His temporal safety in return for two immortalities of pain. He had no doubt this was mortal sin, and was filled with a gloomy hilarity and pride.” “His temporal safety in return for two immortalities of pain. He had no doubt this was mortal sin, and was filled with a gloomy hilarity and pride.” reveals this. The significance of this is the contrast between Rose and Pinkie's wedding in comparison to a common marriage. Pinkie accepts his damnation and the inevitability of hell after committing this mortal sin, as he is defying God. Pinkie's own perspective of hell is to be judged, which is the reasoning for his detached personality throughout the novel and again the reason for his anger towards Rose due to the fact he has given Rose the chance to judge him. Furthermore, Pinkie's unnatural "pride" is due to his acceptance of damnation and the reality of his sins, he has pride still which signifies his lack of remorse for his actions
Greene uses the marriage of Pinkie and Rose to show Pinkies final descent into true pathological evil. This is supported by numerous quotes that show Pinkies realisation that now his damnation is certain, he is somewhat free. “Now it was as if he was damned already and there was nothing more to fear ever again”. The use of strong and absolute language such as “damned” “nothing” and “ever again” shows the solidarity in Pinkie’s mind to the idea that now he can’t escape God’s punishment, he cannot be controlled by his fear of God. This shows the reader that although Pinkie was once redeemable, he is now beyond redemption. The location of the quote just after Pinkie and Rose have consummated their marriage shows this was Pinkie’s immediate thought. This shows the importance of the afterlife to Pinkie. The immediacy of this thought shows the corruption of Pinkie and Rose’s marriage as Pinkie’s thoughts about Rose are only brief, his contemplation on damnation and how the act affects only he shows how he is an unfit husband. The narrative voice is focalised through Pinkie and this allows Greene to show that Pinkie has now crossed into a realm where the threat of damnation is no longer controlling him. This lack of fear will prove evident later on in the book as Pinkie’s acts become more vicious.
ReplyDeleteGreene may have chosen to present the wedding like this to demonstrate Pinkie’s disturbed psyche and how, despite the numerous evil things that he has done, regards this as the worst. This is evident in the quote “he had a sense now that the murders of Hale and Spicer were trivial acts, a boy’s game, and that he had put away childish things. Murder only had led up to this – this corruption”. The word “corruption” is significant as it implies that before he was pure and that because of this act, which is regarded by many to be one of love, has lost this perceived purity when he marries Rose who can be seen to represent innocence and purity. This also demonstrates his disturbed psyche as religious people regard murder and blackmail as a sin and that people who do this have been corrupted by the devil so by describing himself as being “corrupted” it could imply that he believes the devil to be his God as Rose represents innocence so to have been “corrupted” by this shows how he regards innocence with disregard in favour of experience, “there was no innocence… innocence was a slobbering mouth, a toothless gum pulling at the teats; perhaps not even that; innocence was the ugly cry of birth”. The phrase “had led up to this” implies that it is the natural progression of things and is inescapable so by regarding this with repulsion shows that while me may be seen to represent evil and corruption himself, he still believes that there is a limit to what he should do despite it being inevitable, “it was as if he was being driven down too far down a road that he only wanted to travel a certain distance”, however the word “only” implies that this is just the beginning and that he is preparing himself for more. This quote also shows how he now regards murder to be something that a child could do; instead believing that he has now progressed to a level that adults are in and that he is now better than murder, seeing manipulation as the next logical step. Greene may have done this to show the contrasting traits that Pinkie possesses, where he believes he will be punished for his sins but still has a limit to what he is prepared to do, and may foreshadow how these conflicting traits may become more prominent due to his closer relationship with Rose.
ReplyDeleteGreene presents Rose and Pinkies wedding as corrupt, and the complete opposite of what a usual wedding should be like, this emphasis's the flawed relationship Pinkie and Rose have, the wedding is very formal and there is nothing remotely pleasant about it. 'We don't need a ring.' The boy said. 'This isn't a church.' This quote shows how this 'wedding' lacks one of the most significant symbols of a wedding; a ring. Also the phrase 'this isn't a church' shows Pinkies disregarded of religion and how he bends it to suit him, a wedding is a religious ceremony but to him he's manipulated it to not be, this could be one of the reasons Pinkie describes marriage as a 'mortal sin' as he has disregarded the catholic ceremony. Another reason Pinkie describes marriage as the 'greatest sin' is due to weight that comes with being married, there is a sense of emotional attachment which terrifies him, because he believes people do not know him therefore they cannot judge him, but now he has become venerable to Rose as he has had to open himself up to her. 'He had no doubt that whatever that this was mortal sin, and he was filled with a kind of gloomy, hilarity and pride.' The word 'filled' suggests that this whole idea and situation is overwhelming and the fact he feels 'pride' in something so wrong, suggests he cannot help but in enjoy the idea of mortal sin despite the consequence. The fact Pinkie feels 'pride' links to the Devils fall as pride is the worst sin, this foreshadows that Pinkies pride could get the better of him and maybe has already.
ReplyDeleteGreene presents Pinkie and Roses marriage in such a corrupt manner to highlight to the reader the damaging relationship that both characters are sealing in wedlock and how Pinkies inner evil manages to damage and destroy something even as pure as the joining of two people in marriage. The quote ‘Now it was as if he was dammed already and there was nothing to fear ever again.’ Presents Pinkie to the reader as entirely emotionless and twisted as a person due to the fact that he totally disregards the fact that he has just been married; something that many dream about and think will be the happiest moment of their life, and thinks only about the misplaced new found sense of freedom that he experiences from realizing that he has committed a mortal sin and that his fate is sealed in damnation. This gives the reader a real insight into the character of Pinkie and how he operates, he is presented as a twisted and sadistic boy who has no fear in hell or the unknown and takes pleasure in pure evil, this is emphasized vividly by Greene as he contrasts the common perception of a happy wedding day to the sad and emotionless wedding of Pinkie and Rose.
ReplyDeleteGreene has chosen to present the marriage of Pinkie and Rose and its aftermath in such a way to emphasise Pinkie's descent into damnation. For instance, just before their marriage ceremony it is described by Greene as being, " like fire to a metal or a touch of velvet to a sore hand." This shows a harsh juxtaposition between the 'fire and metal' and 'velvet and sore hand,' which emphasises the contrasts between Pinkie and Rose within their relationship. Pinkie might be portrayed by Greene as being the harsher of the two symbols, in the fire and metal, Pinkie could be seen as being the fire trying to shape Rose like a metal and in the other symbols Pinkie contrasts with this being seen as the 'sore hand' that when even touched with the smoothest feeling of velvet - like Rose's gentle nature - he cannot take it. This insinuates how Pinkie is, as the book progresses, being forced further in to his evil nature, the marriage of the two very opposite natures continuing his descent in to damnation. The fact that this sentence is short and straight to the point infers to the reader how Greene's intentions is to show how obvious these contrasts are between him and Rose. The third person perspective allowing the omniscient narrator to make this aware to the reader and make the reader question why Pinkie continues to do more harm than good - why marry Rose? Pinkie is even shown to know this as he states, "This was hell then it wasn't anything to worry about just his own familiar room." The familiarity of hell with the comparison of his own room encompasses how his descent is gradually getting steeper and that he is seeing similarities with the immortal pains of hell and with the own 'comfort' of his room. All of this relating to the ongoing theme of "heaven versus hell" as Rose could be implied as being the good to Pinkies Evil nature and in the case of their marriage the heaven to his hell. Greene showing how Pinkie rules over Rose and will continue to do so in the marriage - just as Pinkie believes in more of the idea of hell - emphasising how hell in his eyes has a greater hold over heaven, again demonstrating his deeper descent in to damnation. -Amy Freeman
ReplyDeleteGreene has chosen to present Pinkie and Rose’s marriage and the aftermath in a corrupt and detached manner in order to convey Pinkie’s transition into damnation. During the ceremony and aftermath of their marriage, Pinkie refers to marrying rose illegally as a “mortal sin” and then goes on to explain that “murder had only led up to this-this corruption. He was filled with awe at his own powers”. This quote conveys to the reader that despite his evil actions of murder, he feels his is only judged by his religious actions. Greene uses the word “corruption” which has connotations of atrocity, evil and extortion, to suggest that due to his and Rose’s marriage being a “mortal sin”, it is his most evil and “corrupt” act he has done in terms of religious consequences. The use of the dash in this quote raises the significance and impact on the reader of the phrase “this corruption” and almost suggests that he takes pride in this high status/power of corruption. The use of the words “awe” and “power” have religious connotations of God or someone of higher power, suggesting to reader that Pinkie feels this new found authority is due to him manipulating religion to satisfy his needs: he feels he has played God by disregarding and disrespecting Christian customs. The use of the focalisation through Pinkie in this quote as well throughout the chapter about their marriage and the aftermath could symbolise Pinkie’s new found ‘God-like’ power due to him committing a mortal sin. The significance of him committing this “mortal sin” in their marriage and why Greene has chosen to present this is that Pinkie believes he is now eternally damned so therefore his future actions within the novel may become more evil and irrelevant to Pinkie due to him already committing the worst act thinkable (the mortal sin) and him already knowing his eternal fate.
ReplyDeleteGreene has decided to 'corrupt' the wedding of Pinkie and Rose to not only emphasize the importance of this mortal sin they are performing but also Greene highlights another way in which it could be see as Pinkie is going directly against heaven and with it, God. The narrative voice plays a key role in this section of the novel as it uses phrases that reveal a lot not only about Pinkies intentions but also it gives the reader a window into Pinkies psyche. The narrator uses a scriptural quote when commenting on Pinkies transition from small petty activities to crime and also violence; "he had put away childish things" suggests that this mortal sin is even above the murders he has committed in terms of his way to damnation. It goes on to state that Pinkie "was filled with awe at his own powers" which resembles Pinkies pride (a motif that is referred to multiple times throughout the book) which interestingly, is often regarded as the greatest spiritual sin as it is said to separate man from God and also which played a big role in the downfall of satan- also known as the Angel Lucifer. As well as this Greene comments on Pinkies thoughts the morning after the wedding with the realisation that he is now married and the registry office wedding was "as irrevocable as a sacrament. Only death would set him free" this quote shows how even though Pinkie should be feeling overjoyed at the fact of being married, he still resents it and believes he is now not free, untill the moment of his death. -Tom Brooks
ReplyDeleteGreene has presented the marriage of Pinkie and Rose and its aftermath as damned and corrupt to illustrate Pinkie’s downfall and decent in to Damnation. “His temporal safety in return for two immortalities of pain. He had no doubt this was mortal sin, and was filled with a gloomy hilarity and pride.” Pinkie’s belief throughout Brighton Rock is that his sins can be forgiven by repent, but this “mortal sin” is unforgiveable and therefore cannot be redeemed. Despite him performing the only Christian thing he has ever done, Pinkie has twisted and corrupted the act by his bad intentions and manipulation of the marriage to meet his own selfish needs. He has given a bad name to marriage, defying “God” himself, making his sin unforgiveable. This ultimately determines the idea that Pinkie’s fate rests in hell. Arguably some may say that Pinkie’s damnation is not of the afterlife but of him. He refuses to have any emotional attachment as it means people do not have the opportunity to dislike him as they cannot judge him, but by allowing Rose to enter his life he is allowing her to judge him, which is his personal view of hell. The idea that Pinkie shows signs of “pride” despite his inhumane actions is emblematic of how Pinkie continues to show no remorse for his mortal sins and that he is accepting of his inevitable fate of damnation. These contradicting ideas of hell both support the idea that the union of Pinkie and Rose is reflective of the fate of Pinkie’s future life.
ReplyDeleteNatasha Syed
Graham Greene does manipulate the marriage of Pinkie and Rose to emphasise the consequential, and eventual descent of Pinkie toward definite evil, whereby a cold detachment is further intensified. Within Part 6 there are a many number of quotations of which demonstrate Pinkie’s complete understanding, and realisation that damnation is inevitable, though does suppress this burden, and as a consequence Pinkie is, to an extent, of self-acceptance. ‘Now it was as if he was damned already and there was nothing more to fear ever again’. Explicit, and definitive language does express the conclusive acceptance of the ideology that Pinkie cannot avoid the judgement, and eventual retribution of God, and therefore can neither be conformed by the contemporary apprehension of God. This quotation is soon after the finalisation of the marriage, demonstrating the significance of this, as it was the immediate thought of Pinkie, presenting such of the afterlife. The thought, also, does expose the corrupt relationship and, too, marriage of Pinkie, and Rose. Pinkie has an insignificant response toward Rose, whereas the narrative voice, that of Pinkie, does emphasise upon damnation. The narrative voice does enable Greene to present the perspective that the retribution of God does not influence the behaviour of Pinkie. - Ben Spicer
ReplyDeleteGreene has manipulated the marriage of Pinkie and Rose to make it appear as "damned" and to show Pinkies final descent into evil after the marriage in Pinkies eyes this is the last straw with regards to his soul and his sin. Greene presents the marriage as very formal and unaffectionate, this is to highlight Pinkies hatred for Rose and his inability to show effection. It also shows Pinkies desire to fit in, in a world which while he hates he has a deep desire to fit in and be normal, hence the marriage to Rose." like fire to a metal or a touch of velvet to a sore hand." The juxtaposition between the "metal" and "velvet" reflects Pinkie and Roses relationship and the contact between good and evil and innocence vs corruption. It could also show that Pinkie is trying to shape Rose like a metal, in his attempt to corrupt her and to assert absolute control over her the same way he does with his Gang. The narrative voice enables Greene to portray God and show how little influence religion has on Pinkie.
ReplyDeleteGreene intentionally highlights his contortions of the traditional wedding ceremony, and draws attention to Pinkie's views on damnation, which has previously been glossed over, to the aim to giving an insight into the character. Pinkie has shown ability to murder without, apparently, a second thought, and yet is devastated and nerve-wracked at the prospect of a 'marriage' and the idea of consummating without a proper catholic marriage. "Now it was as if he was damned already and there was nothing to fear ever again" This quote demonstrates that this is the most difficult/horrendous thing that Pinkie has ever done, as before he has referred to assumptions of being damned, or an indifference to the matter, yet here he states acknowledgement, accompanied by a sense of release. The contrast of things he does and does not care about reinforces the idea of him being an emotionless and twisted individual, which is somewhat a disappointment after the very human emotion displayed in his nervousness before marriage, revealed now that it was for different reasons to why others might feel similarly. The majority of people feel relief and rejoice after a marriage, Pinkie somewhat mimics these feelings, yet is motivated by a sinister realisation that he has nothing to lose, to him he has committed that one final act of which there is no return, sealing himself to a fate of damnation. Greene gave the audience false hope before he changed the fabric of a traditional marriage, the bride being late and the groom being nervous, these are images that we can connect to on a human level of understanding, Greene intelligently compares this opening with the rest of the chapter, snapping the audience back to the reality of the grotesque character of Pinkie, reiterating all of the qualities which everyone was already aware of, stronger, and more sinister than ever. - Ed Hobson
ReplyDeleteGreene uses marriage to contrast the reality of the wedding ceremony to the traditional aspects that surround marriage. For example, marriage is traditionally perceived to be a happy, new beginning for a couple whilst in Brighton Rock, Pinkie and Rose's wedding is presented to be the dawn of a vicious, detrimental relationship that is all built around Pinkie trying to silence a witness. One way in which the marriage is directly juxtaposed is through the exchanging of the vowels in which couples show care for each over whilst this contrasts to the message Pinkie records for Rose on the gramophone which is aggressive and harmful. This is seen in the quote, "God damn you, you little bitch, why can't you go back home for ever and let me be?"
ReplyDeleteGreene presents the wedding of the damaging relationship of Pinkie and Rose in such a way to signify to the reader how great and evil Pinkie see it as. The quotation “His temporal safety in return for two immortalities of pain. He had no doubt this was mortal sin, and was filled with a gloomy hilarity and pride.” “His temporal safety in return for two immortalities of pain. He had no doubt this was mortal sin, and was filled with a gloomy hilarity and pride.” reveals this. The significance of this is the contrast between Rose and Pinkie's wedding in comparison to a common marriage. Pinkie accepts his damnation and the inevitability of hell after committing this mortal sin, as he is defying God. Pinkie's own perspective of hell is to be judged, which is the reasoning for his detached personality throughout the novel and again the reason for his anger towards Rose due to the fact he has given Rose the chance to judge him. Furthermore, Pinkie's unnatural "pride" is due to his acceptance of damnation and the reality of his sins, he has pride still which signifies his lack of remorse for his actions
ReplyDeleteAlfie Narborough
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