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To solve the crime Gamache needs “to think about the Divine, the human, and the cracks in between.” How do all of these qualities manifest themselves in the story?
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We humans often get into trouble when we think we really have a handle on God’s will. So many wars are fought and crimes committed based on our perception of the Divine. Sometimes there is a crack between the human and the divine, sometimes a chasm….sometimes a fine line. That’s what ultimately led to the murder.
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well said. So many horrible things are done because someone or some population believes “their God” wants it 😭
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Yes, and there are so many different bibles and different gods. There is no right or wrong bible. Each person is free to choose what they believe (unless they are in a cult and forced to believe what the cult believes).
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and the presumption that any of us really know God’s will is somewhat prideful, in my view.
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The plain chant brings the conflict to this story.
I agree with Frère Simon that it’s hard to explain. “It’s hard to explain,” said Frère Simon to Gamache. “We’re two dozen men here alone. Our goal, our prayer, is to find divine love. Compassion. To be consumed by the love of God.”
“That’s the ideal,” said Gamache. “But in the meantime, you’re also human.” The need for physical comfort was, he knew, powerful and primal and didn’t necessarily go away with a vow of chastity.
“But what we need isn’t physical love,” said Frère Simon, correctly interpreting Gamache’s thoughts, and correcting him. The monk didn’t sound at all defensive. He was simply struggling to find the right words. “I think most, if not all of us, have left that far behind. We’re not highly sexed or sexual.”
Gamache asked, “What do you need then?”
Frère Simon said, “Kindness. Intimacy. Not sexual. But companionship. God should replace man in our affections, but the reality is, we all want a friend.”
Gamache and Jean-Guy are examples of the cracks in human behavior. Each person is free to make their own choice whether it’s survivor or victim. Gamache faces his own demons and imperfections. Jean Guy succumbs to Francoeur’s manipulations and his addiction struggles in a raw and realistic way. Gamache and Francoeur are both Catholics but you know who is the better (more Godly) man. Of course Jean Guy went with Francoeur. He didn’t want to face his demons and the very hard struggle to get clean.
“There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” -
There were a lot of different interpretations in the story about what (and who) was divine, and the cracks that developed occurred when certain elements didn’t live up to the expectations of others. The abbot and many of the monks believed implicitly in the divinity of the chants; they were an extension of God, as the Word of God. The prior, though, wanted to manipulate the chants, make them more commercial and marketable, so he didn’t have the same interpretation of the pure divinity of them — would you, if you truly believed they were purely divine, want or dare to change them? As the monks aligned behind one or the other of those leaders, a fissure occurred. And the murder ultimately occurred because Frere Luc elevated the prior to an almost divine role; made him more than human in his eyes, and then was crushed when he realized that he was only human after all. Huge crack there! And I couldn’t help but think that there were parallels in that relationship between Frere Luc and the prior and Jean Guy and Armand. JG has practically worshipped Armand, and now is totally devastated when he feels that his idol has failed him. And that has led to such a heartbreaking fracture….
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Yes, so much of this book showed the relationship between “human” and “divine”. Not in a religious way, but an existential change from living in the world to transcending it. The light in the Abbey, the plainchant, the monks who sang “the words of God with the voice of God”, were glimpses of the divine. Of course none of us are divine, we’re all human, including the monks. There are lots of cracks! The Abbey was created to inspire the divine, yet there were cracks in the foundations. The plainchant was written to bring us closer to the divine, and the recording brought it to the world, but at what cost? The rift among the monks lead to a murder. In the meantime, Jean Guy is caught between Armand (a force for good) and Franceur (a force for evil). He makes his choice, but only after Franceur fractures the relationship between JG and Armand. The book ends with the story about the 2 wolves fighting inside the boy, one good, one evil. When the boy asks which one will win, his grandfather tells him, “the one you feed.” 🐺
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Well put! I forgot about the cracks in the foundation — that’s a pretty significant crack, I agree! And yep, Francoeur is a silver-tongued devil, isn’t he? He tempts and destroys with glee. Evil man. Such a contrast to Armand.
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