the private memoirs and confessions of a justified sinner sparknotes

This is the beginning of his enthrallment. The young Robert lies, cheats and steals to watch his rival fall. He tempts Robert into self-improvement, and coerces him into adapting any means at his disposal to remain top of the class. I’d argue that Robert has been persecuted by this figure, whatever he actually is, all his life. This is the form of McGill his nemesis at school. The figure is also a shapeshifter-if it wasn’t already complicated enough- and in his earliest form he captures Robert’s ambition. Satan, the double, the mysterious Gill, can also been seen as a physical representation of sin and temptation. How far can we give his narrative any credence? He often represents things in the way that Gill-Martin, Satan or the dark element of split consciousness, tells him to. Robert is the author of his confessions, so there is a degree of bias in everything he says.

Sure, there is plenty to suggest that he has a physical presence within the novel, but there is also the fact that this text was written by an unreliable narrator. His dark impulses take over in the form of his double mind-set. His predestination allows him to let loose. Gill-Martin, our Satan, may just be an element of Robert’s mind he may represent the division within his tormented soul, a soul torn by religious doctrine and his carnal nature. Then there are the elements of the double to consider. We all need someone, or some authority, to answer to and to guide us otherwise, we can create our own sense of twisted rules and live in the darkness. Again, perhaps Hogg is demonstrating the dangers of such a situation. You can manipulate, murder and steal, and it just doesn’t matter. God has already saved you since the start of time. So why not have some fun? You might be punished, but that doesn’t matter. Mortal consequences are trivial when compared to the immortal salvation his soul will receive. It means that Robert has absolutely no one to answer to on this earth. Now this is a terribly dangerous mind-set. History has already been written: his soul has already been saved.

He already has a free ticket into to heaven, so whatever he does on earth doesn’t matter.

Robert opened the doors when he accepted the Calvinist principle of predestination he believes himself to be one of God’s elect. That’s all there in the text, but it is only the beginning. The novel can be read as a didactical message about the dangers of a sinful mind. The prince of destruction dominates his mind and controls his actions. Robert, our sinner, has been claimed by Satan. Perhaps the most obvious interpretation to start with is the religious angle. I shall try to tell you why this book is so utterly excellent. The narrative is so dense that it is impossible to make a solid interpretation of the events, but I shall try.

The private memoirs and confessions of a justified sinner sparknotes