The Role of Different Elements in Developing Matthais Character in the Pledge - Essay Example

The Role of Different Elements in Developing Matthai’s Character in The Pledge The emergence of detective and mystery novels around early to mid-20th century has opened a new genre that readers can easily claim to be something which nearly occurs or actually happens in real life, shifting the plot from a simple cops-and-robbers game to a sophisticated one, for example an elusive criminal being chased by the talented detective by all means, with certain plot twists that catches the reader by surprise. One of the most known writers in this genre is Swiss writer Friedrich Durrenmatt, and he has demonstrated his skill in imagery and suspense in his famous novel, The Pledge (1958). The prose, while considered to be a mystery novel was written to depict Durrenmatt’s criticism of mainstream detective stories, and the ending departs from the usual mystery-gets-solved formula by showing the reader the tragic reality that not all crimes get solved, and there are lots of factors in play that could affect the outcome of the case, such as the character’s personality. In this story, the development of the main protagonist’s character has been affected by various experiences and incidences, making Inspector Matthai change from a predictable and calculating man into someone who risks everything such as ethics and safety of others just to fulfill his promise. Through the combination of various settings in the story such as the cold and harsh environment of Chur, a society that expects law enforcers to bring justice to all wrongdoings, and the strong influence of religion to decision-making during the post-war years turns the respected former inspector into a ragged person obsessed with solving a cold-case murder, who even forgoes certain ethical principles that he used to believe in just to catch his man. The story shows the events through a first-person point of view by a former police chief simply called Dr. H., and the story of former Police Inspector Matthai from being a decorated and respected officer to a ragged owner of a gas station becomes unraveled as the narration progresses. The physical aspect of the setting dictates the mood of the story, and it reflects the personality of the main protagonist from the beginning. It is set in the town of Chur somewhere in Switzerland, where “winter seemed unwilling to leave this part of the country” (Durrenmatt 48). The seemingly-predictable order of the story at the beginning is similar to the predictability of the physical setting to always be cold and under snow, and predictability is one thing that causes boredom, which is what Inspector Matthai was experiencing in the police force. Interestingly, it is also this same predictability that made him highly capable in his tasks, despite having the label of being a person that works “without passion” (55). However, just when things seem to remain predictable and boring, the inspector experienced an incident that changes his life. This happens just before being sent out to work in Jordan in reorganizing its police force, and that “he got embroiled in a case that suddenly stirred him into passion” (56). The values and beliefs of society during Durrenmatt’s time are reflected in the social settings of the story, especially with regards to the responsibilities of law enforcers. This comment by Dr. H. shows that the police force has a huge responsibility by holding the safety of all citizens in their hands: “People hope the police at least will know how to put the world in order, which strikes me as the most miserable thing you could possibly hope for” (52). Seeing the police at a high esteem gives additional pressure for all members of the force to solve the cases, to apprehend criminals, and to keep the people safe and secure. This is also the same ideal that puts pressure on Inspector Matthai to be “tough as nails, downright ruthless, and hated as he was successful” (55). Some police officers were mentioned to be rather soft with the villagers, but Matthai lives up to the expectations of the people, giving off an aura of intimidation, and as far as crime scenes are concerned, “he was the only one that didn’t flinch” (63). Aside from being reliable and possessing strong wills, citizens expect that police officers must be upholding the laws and solving crimes. Religion plays a strong role in the character development of Inspector Matthai, and despite having initial hesitations, his conversations with the parents of the murdered girl Gritli Moser, along with his strong sense of justice becomes the source of his passion. After promising Mr. and Mrs. Moser to find the criminal at all costs, he was also compelled to do it after Mrs. Moser asks him to fulfill his promise at the cost of his “eternal salvation” (67). If religion and salvation are not important issues, Matthai could simply just stop looking for the criminal once the suspect fails to arrive on the meeting place as planned. However, his pledge to the Moser couple becomes his driving force in finding the true criminal, and he deems that in solving the case, “there must be no injustice” (73). He strongly believes that the peddler being suspected of the murder is not the true culprit and that in order to truly apprehend the criminal: “Every suspect, without regard for his position, would be investigated with the greatest precision. Every conceivable clue would be followed up.” (76). This is how a person who believes in divine justice thinks, and that the strong influence of religion helps Matthai in keeping his promise to the Mosers, as well as in using his capabilities in making sure that all suspects are not dealt with injustice. Inspector Matthai’s patience, duty to deliver justice and protecting the people comes to a test when he starts asking nearly the whole village about the events precedes the murder of Gritly, talking to the witnesses just like any other witness or criminal that stands in court. The conflict Matthai faces in dealing with the Magendorfers or villagers is that he must be as calm in his assertions of being on the right side of the law while dealing with them as respectfully and as tactfully as possible. If Matthai treats the villagers with less respect that they are able to give, it would have proven difficult for him to convince them that they were accusing a person wrongly. He acknowledges his pledges in upholding the law and remaining to be the people’s defender of justice, despite the Magendorfers believing the police to be incapable of solving the case and them taking the matters into their own hands. But because he also is very calculating and does his job as precisely as he could, he is confident in his decisions in dealing with the Magendorfers (70). In the end, using his skills and upholding his principles of dealing with justice, he is able to convince the Magendorfers that von Guten is innocent and that the real criminal is still on the loose (77). During the latter parts of the story, another conflict arises as Inspector Matthai’s beliefs and ethics takes the better of him when he chooses to use an innocent child as bait to lure in the real murderer, and this takes in similarly as how Abraham offers his son as a sacrifice. This happens after he becomes obsessive with finding the real criminal, and even turning from a possible promotion in Jordan and into a jobless and private citizen, losing his status as an inspector (104). Despite getting examined by a doctor and concluding that he already suffers a personality change due to his obsession, Matthai still continues to fulfill his pledge of finding Gritli’s murderer, even making a profile of the criminal that he believes to have done the deed (118, 124). Far different from his former beliefs of being just, keeping the law and the safety of the people especially children, he starts doing acts that directly opposes the law, such as trespassing into the schoolhouse (111). In order to continue his plans of apprehending the real criminal, he buys a gas station about to be closed and even lives with a distraught mother with her daughter Annemarie, who then becomes his bait in luring in Gritli’s murderer (133, 139). Matthai hopes to succeed in reeling in the fish by keeping the girl “near the road as bait” (144). Even though he is always near Annemarie all the time, putting the child’s life at risk by letting her become a bait is a crime worse than murder, since he is deliberately putting her in danger just to avenge the death of Gritli. In the event that Annemarie gets kidnapped and becomes murdered as a result, Matthai would have added more sins to his list, and this could even aggravate his obsession of finding the murderer. This display of uncaringly putting a child’s life at risk of being murdered, along with his trespassing into the schoolhouse shows how the obsession of finding the real murderer turns Matthai from a person that believes in upholding the law and being just to a person that puts everything on the line just to fulfill an old promise, completely showing how the need to fulfill a promise conflicts with his means of doing so. During the course of the story, Inspector Matthai’s character changes from a person who believes in justice, upholding the law and keeping the people safe to an obsessive person that turns down chances of having a better and exciting life just to fulfill an old promise of apprehending the real criminal in a murder case. Initially, his personality was as predictable as the weather in Chur, cold but calculable. His belief system in being as just as possible in judging criminals was strongly-tied to the influence of religion in his life, and that in order to prevent injustice and suffer the consequences in the afterlife, evidences must all be accurate. However, as the story progressed, incidences and experiences such as his frustration in failing to save the peddler von Guten from injustice, as well as his divine pledge to catch the true killer of Gritli Moser caused his personality to change, which in the end brought him ruin and turns him into a person completely different from the upright and predictable Matthai that he was. Work Cited Durrenmatt, Friedrich. "The Pledge (1958)." Durrenmatt, Friedrich. Selected Writings: Volume 2 - Fictions. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2006. 46-194. Print. Read More