Brighton Rock: Growth In Psychological Insight

Author

• Sister Catherine Madigan DC, Xavier University of Louisiana

Date of Award

1969

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Keywords

Graham Greene, Brighton Rock, Psychological Realism, Catholic Novel, Character Study, British Fiction, Literary Criticism, Twentieth Century Literature, Moral Conflict, Crime Fiction

Abstract

This thesis, presented at Xavier University in 1969, examines Graham Greene's novel "Brighton Rock" as a significant early step in Greene's development of psychologically complex characterization. Madigan argues that the novel represents the first sustained combination of three elements in Greene's fiction: the "thriller" plot structure, the "Catholic element" as a framework of belief opposing his characters' actions, and genuine psychological depth, distinguishing it from both his earlier thrillers and his lighter "entertainments."

The thesis compares "Brighton Rock" to Greene's short story "A Drive in the Country," which shares a similar plot but, due to its brevity and narrative point of view, achieves little psychological depth, in order to isolate what Greene added in expanding the material into a novel. Central chapters examine the environmental and childhood backgrounds of the protagonist, Pinkie Brown, and his wife, Rose, arguing that their impoverished, loveless upbringings in the Brighton slums render Pinkie's turn to violence and Rose's capacity for self-sacrificing devotion psychologically credible. The thesis surveys the range of critical response to the novel, noting that some critics, including Herbert Haber, evaluate the work primarily in theological terms while others, including Elizabeth Hardwick, dispute that genuine psychological motivation is present at all. Madigan concludes that while Greene did not fully resolve the tension between psychological realism and theological concepts such as grace, particularly in his treatment of Rose and of the character Ida Arnold, "Brighton Rock" nonetheless marks Greene's first successful attempt at psychological characterization and establishes a pattern he would refine in his later, greater novels.

Note: No original abstract was included; this abstract is provided by the XULA Digital Commons editors.

Recommended Citation

Madigan, Sister Catherine DC, "Brighton Rock: Growth In Psychological Insight" (1969). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 140.
https://digitalcommons.xula.edu/etd/140