The document is an assignment submission analyzing the short story "The Tenth Man" by Graham Greene. It summarizes the plot, which takes place in a prison in occupied France during World War 2 where one in ten prisoners must be executed. It then analyzes several themes in the story, including the willingness to sacrifice for others, the loss of identity after war, existentialism, alienation, and the anxiety of lying versus the truth. The submission discusses how Greene portrays these profound philosophical themes through the simple story.

1. ASSIGNMENT OF: POST WAR
SUBMITTED TO: MAM ASMA
SUBMITTED BY:
FATIMA GUL
SITARA AYAZ
DATE: 31ST.MARCH 2013
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2. Statement 1
Despite of its structural simplicity the tenth man is a combination of profound themes and
philosophies pertaining the choices an individual makes in life .Discuss
The Tenth Man is a fictitious story created by Graham Greene. It is a story in which Greene has
portrayed post war theme by using simple language and familiar expression. Through this
structural simplicity author has highlighted profound themes and these themes are not superficial
instead they illustrate the reality of a common person’s life.
The Tenth Man by Graham Greene is a story that opens in a prison, in Occupied France during
World War II. It has declared that one in every ten prisoners must execute; as a punishment and
avenge of murdered German last night, lots have drawn to decide who will die. One of the men
chosen is a rich lawyer named as Jean-Louis Chavel. He offers all his money to anyone who will
take his place. Janvier is the man who agrees thinking about his sister and mother. He drew up a
will; leaving everything, he owned to his bereaved.
The story comprises four parts. Each part is deeply linked with the next part and do not let reader
to divert its attention. All the parts have been knitted closely in a circle, developing the story,
taking its reader from incentive moment to dénouement.
Although, Greene was a post modern writer but still he has followed the classical tradition of
writing, in his works. As in The Tenth Man, he has followed the Aristotelian style of writing.
Linear manner has employed in the Tenth man. Events have revealed in a chronological order.
The life of protagonist is uncovered in a sequential manner. He has revealed his story
systematically, as in the text the protagonist’s life has exposed in a prison, then author has
revealed the circumstances that have brought a momentous change in Chavel’s life, and
analytically author has reached to consequences of the story.
In the plot of the story element of suspense is also dominant. In the text, when the guards
announce my orders are that one man in every ten shall be shot in this camp, this situation
raised curiosity in readers.
One of the profound philosophies of life highlighted by writer is willingness to sacrifice your life
for another person. It is, considered noblest attitude but if it is undertaken by the purity of heart.
In The Tenth Man, we can see that Janvier presented himself as an alternative for the execution
of Chavel, whatever the motive behind. This type of behavior has less likely, to see in common
day life but Greene has successfully portrayed this virtue of humanity.
Similarly, it has observed through the text that it was the sense of belongingness that has
attracted Chavel to return to his home, declaring that: every step was familiar to the bearded
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3. man.
In the text Greene has inscribe the sense of identity to the home through the life of Chavel.
Living of Chavel in his home is associated through the concept of Generation. In addition, when
Chavel returns to his home is associated with the concept of regeneration. Chavel’s act of
leavening his home has portrayed as letting the child out of womb, in order to reestablish his
personality.
Keeping in account the simplicity of language the writer has conveyed a significant theme,
which deepened its roots especially after world war is Identity. Because of the identity, man has
considered noblest but after war people in general lost their identity. Identity remained confined
to papers banishing individuality, this was the time, when some people highjacked the identities,
of other people and successfully survived .Graham Greene displayed this theme in the figure of
Chavel, who changed his name to Charlot to sneak into the lives of Janvier’s bereaved. He brings
into play his fake identity, to win a place as a helper, to the household and was easily trusted
The novel reaches its climax when a war criminal named Carosse arrives claiming to be Chavel
unearthing another example of manipulating identities.
In The Tenth Man, Greene has illustrated Heidegger theory of time as another reflective
philosophy of human life. In the first part of the story, time has given very significant place by
author. In the prison, there are only two men, who possess watches; it signifies the sense of
authority and of stature, as has depicted in the text whatever the cause that night, the mayor
forgot to wind his watch. This act of mayor represents that if mayor is not able to inform other
people about time then he will lose his prestige among other people.
In The Tenth Man author has highlighted the sense of competition, by depicting the importance
of time. In the prison, person who will acquaint with correct time will consider authoritative. As
stated in the text that left the alarm clock and a large old-fashioned sliver watch on a chain
belonging to the Mayor of Bourges. The alarm clock belonged to an engine driver called
Pierre, and a sense of competition grew between the two men”.
Psychology is all about working with people and their problems .The Tenth Man is a startlingly
honest story adorned with psychological depth, emotional tension, and compassionate
humanism. Beginning in a prison camp, and ending up in death of protagonist not only led its
reader to suffer from psychological hiccups but we see that every character also suffers from
number of different psychological moments, keeping their live in momentum.
Class-consciousness is a theme that has conferred by Greene in his novel, The Tenth Man. In a
microcosm of prison, there are different people who belong to different classes. Because of this
class difference, contempt is been developed among the people of prison. Chavel and Mayor
belong to same class and this indulges them into a sense of competition. Each of them always
found to prove him superior on other. As in the text a Paris lawyer called Chavel, a lonely
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4. fellow who made awkward attempts from time to time to prove himself human enforces the
awareness of class consciousness in minds of people.
As Greene has argued about class distinction in his novel, in this regard another theme is been
raised by him that is, what makes some one aristocrat? Is it money or something in born? Greene
in his novel supports this view that aristocracy is something that is inborn. By doing the
comparison of the character of Chavel and Therese, Chavel is an aristocrat, though he has no
money, but still aristocracy is in his instincts. On the other hand we see that although Therese is
now rich and posses a certain status in society but still lacks the instincts of aristocrats, this has
evaluated by her behavior of spitting at face and her inner cowardice. Greene has constantly
supported the idea that nobility does not comes with money nor the money can cart off your
inner nobility, it only comes as inheritance.
Greene attempts to invest his work with philosophical meaning, which is reflected through the
village priest, who is introduced with that nice worldliness with which Greene likes to treat
Roman Catholicism on those odd days when he is not obsessed with it, enters the scene. '' 'Can I
have your blessing, father?' ‘Of course' He rubber-stamped the air like a notary and was gone.’
However, the same priest has to be the vehicle for pop moralizing, and in due course, we have
from him: ''Shrewdness often sounds like wisdom, and ignorance often sounds like shrewdness.''
Another profound theme that Greene has discussed in his novel is the theme of existentialism.
Existentialists argued that man exist and then he made his view of world. Similar is the situation
portrayed by Greene in his novel through the life of Chavel. As Chavel, has made his view about
the world after coming in this world. As in the story, Chavel has learned through his experience
that to live with guilt is far more difficult than death. Hence, it has viewed that man formulates
his view about world through experience. 1
Theme of existentialism is also been related to the theme of alienation or sense of lose. There are
so many people living in the prison but all were living in the state of weirdness and despair. As it
is, revealed through the dialogue of Chavel no city was more crowded than their cell, and week
by week, Chavel learned the lesson that one can be unbearably lonely in a city. This dialogue of
Chavel illustrates the dilemma of existentialism. He rubber-stamped the air like a notary and was
gone. Greene in his novel has discussed about the generation, which has lost faith in religion.
However, Greene has supported the view that we should have ritualistic religion rather than no
religion.
An old maxim – the truth shall set you free identifies the Greene’s insight into the deep and
profound anxiety of the liar – that at any moment the lie will be discovered and the truth laid
bare. This is another distinguishing philosophy of life portrayed by the mirror held up to life of
Chavel and Carosse The truth is the only thing that Chavel is running from. It may be thought
that in fact it is the truth that is causing the anxiety and not the lie as such. Greene often seems
1
http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/02/20/specials/greene-tenth.html
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5. to provide hints in this direction. Carosse, unlike Chavel, is far from anxious about his lies. He
seems to be positively reveling in it. He sees it all as theatre – amusing playacting. What’s
more, Carosse often asserts that it is precisely because he is not the real Chavel that gives him
the advantage in wooing Therese even though she deeply hates him.
Sentences such as If one had possessed a God's-eye view of France, one would have detected a
constant movement of tiny grains moving like dust across a floor shaped like a map, are
wonderfully descriptive and cause the reader to see the events in a global imagery. Other
expressions like, when it happens you know what you have been all your life, are momentous
and create a powerful sense of human depth that drives the book from beginning to end. Greene's
prose and characterizations are intelligent, perceptive, rich, and meaningful without becoming
contrived or shallow.2
However maintaining the simplicity in language Graham Greene has exposed many serious and
philosophical themes including identity, willingness to sacrifice, Heidegger theory of time, sense
of competition, theme of alienation or sense of lose, existentialism, class-consciousness and
many others. With the help of third person, narrative author has described his story. As a reader
you might feel you know where the book is going, so many times it feels as if you can predict the
next plot development. But what makes it interesting going through the story is the ability of
Greene not just to surprise but deliver such believable characters that you are prepared to go
through scenes to see the reaction.
He operates with a tight cast, a shadow over hanging the whole piece as the principal character
wonders if his secret have discovered and then an ending, which you could not have predicted
but is well worth waiting for. What he really writes about so acutely are human beings and their
motivations and emotions. He nails it in a very short space of writing and manages to drop a
backdrop that sets a mood. He can do it in the jungles of Africa, a blitzed London and again here
in post-war rural France.3
2
http://library-genesis.com/The%20Tenth%20Man.1114214.html
3
http://insidebooks.blogspot.com/2009/12/book-review-tenth-man-graham-greene.html
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