When does Martin in Frayn's headlong take the wrong path?

At the beginning of Headlong the protagonist - Martin - is shown as a simple man: he has an ordinary life, he is indecisive, quick to get and lose interest, he thinks about his career and a book he should write. But by the end of the novel he becomes "battle hardened". He can "shove the bayonet in without a second thought" [322]. He becomes desperate and even cruel in a way. So when does Martin take a wrong path?

Is it when he hides his suspicions about the picture? Martin doesn't tell anyone about his thoughts concerning the painting. He doesn't think Tony Churt deserves to own it, "He can't make good his claim to it. It's written in a language he can't read, because the only language he can read is his necessity of money... In any case, he owns it no more than I do... So I'm going to have it off him" [48]. He decides who is a better holder of the painting, and he sincerely believes he has this right. At the end Martin asks to judge him, but at the beginning he is a judge. But Martin is not like Tony and he makes it clear, "I'm not going to do it by deceit. I'm not going to stoop to the kind of methods he might use himself. I'm going to do it by boldness and skill, in full accordance with the rules of war" [48]. And thus a race for the picture begins.

The Churts are not the only ones who are held in the dark. Martin doesn't say a thing to his wife, Kate, too. He is afraid of her judgment and discouragement. But he needs her help. He thinks, "Kate and I can work on the problem together,"" [68] but in reality he uses her though doesn't think of it that way, "Much better to let her guide me through the undergrowth with no knowledge of where we 're heading" [69].

Is it when he begins making excuses for his own benefit? Martin is not used to making schemes, so his conscience forces him to make excuses to himself, "If Tony can fictionalize a history for the picture I can surely fictionalize a future for it. This is what gives me strength and gets me going at last. I'm damned if I'm going to be outdone by Tony Churt!" [102], "And Laura's right. We're not committing any crime. We're not stealing Menelaus's treasure. I'll send him the money. Every penny I was going to give him anyway" [371].

- Isn't what people do more important in the end than what they feel? Isn't what they leave behind more important than what they were?

- You 're implying that a painting night be worth more than us? Than you and me?

- More than me, yes... There seems to be at any rate one picture in the world that you think is worth more than either me or Tilda. [258,259]

Kate is able to bring Martin back to Earth but not for long. When it comes to Laura and her attempts to seduce him, Martin doesn't think about his family once again. But his thoughts are not with Laura as well, "She looks up at me seriously, then tucks her face into the hollow of my neck. Which brings the picture into my eyeline. I have my tape measure in my pocket, but I don't think I can produce it just at the moment and attempt to use it behind her back. I try to make some kind of systematic examination, though - try to focus on each detail in turn, and think whether it could have any religious or political significance... She's so distractingly soft against me, I find it extremely difficult to take in what I'm looking at... I can feel my heart beating; I can feel hers... Oh yes, and there's the dark patch in the corner...'" [247]

Even subconsciously Martin sets priorities with the painting on top and the people around him - second. After the accident the first thought in his head is about the picture, its well-being and only then - Laura's, "Time to get the twine untied, and the picture out. Time to get the nearside door open, and Laura free."' [387]

The picture is Martin's downfall. It opens hidden traits in him, it spoils relationships between him and people around, it destroys his family and lowers his morals. But can we say he is wicked? At the end he is more evasive but still honest. He is more complicated, probably not in a good way, but he never wanted to harm Tony, Laura, Kate or anyone else. He was absorbed in his obsession, but he had no bad intentions. So he can't be called wicked. He is just confused.

There are many questionable actions in Martin's behavior and thoughts - in his head. And they begin when he sees the picture and imagine all the things it could lead him to. The moment he lost to vanity was the beginning of his downfall. After all, if it was about the world seeing the masterpiece, a lost part of Bruegel's collection, Martin could tell Tony about it, they would sell it to the National Gallery and people would enjoy it. But the picture tempted Martin's vanity and made him do what he did. And after all it made him fall.

Refernces

Frayn M. Headlong. London: Faber and Faber, 1999.

END NOTES

Advice for Contributors

We particularly welcome literary articles on recent British novels and plays which are not part of the ORF project. (The journal would be very boring if we confined ourselves to discussing the twenty novels and two plays on the list!) We are also pleased to publish articles on other literary genres. especially poetry. Poetry makes an appearance in Footpath-8.

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