The kind of contradiction Orwell identified, and which must occur to any sensible reader, and which probably occurred at some level to Greene, is resolved by placing the matter, quite literally, in higher hands. We cannot know, or even comprehend Scobie, the book tells us. That is God’s task. Those who find Scobie already a somewhat thin character will find this appeal to mystery a little suspect, a way of sealing an already opaque action from further scrutiny. But it has a certain characterological logic. Scobie has consistently betted on God’s forgiveness—it is part of his distinctive pride.
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