Identity Crisis in Graham Greene's A Burnt-out Case

Abstract

Every individual on earth longs for one’s way of identity. And he has right to choose his individual identity. But he must accept the risk and responsibility of following their commitment. He tries to find out the meaning or the value of life in this universe but he can not discover because the world itself possesses no such value/ truth. Man is like throwing ball so he comes in this earth for the suffering. The protagonist in Graham Greene’s A Burnt-out Case, a very famous for designing some of the most celebrated modern cathedral in Europe and America finds his life is full of disillusionment and meaninglessness in the face of success. For him everything becomes nothing and lastly he finds no pleasure in art and his famous life. Arriving anonymously at a leper colony in the Congo, he finds some hope of life and decides to live till his life. He is diagnosed as the mental equivalent of a ‘burnt-out case’. Querry slowly moves towards cure, his mind getting clearer as he works for the colony. He does not want to reveal his previous world famous identity because of his bad fortune he cannot conceal his identity for too long. In the heat of the topics, no relationship with a married woman he is accused and shot to death. He tries to get the meaning of his life and existence but he never succeed. And he dies laughing at his meaningless life.