"The Invisible Japanese Gentlemen"

by Graham Greene

"The Invisible Japanese Gentlemen" is a short story written by Graham

Greene in 1965.
Here we can find the theme of hope, failure, conflict, independence,
innocence and fear. Taken from his Complete Short Stories collection the story is
narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story the
reader realises that Greene may be exploring the theme of hope. The girl in
Bentley’s hopes that her book, The Chelsea Set, will do well. She believes the
hype that Mr Dwight has given the book and as such has decided upon moving to
St. Tropez for six months in order to write another book. However her fiance has
concerns which some critics might suggest are legitimate. He is not as certain as
the girl as to whether the book will be a success. If anything he is open minded
enough to allow for the failure of the book. As such he attempts to persuade the
girl on him taking a job with his uncle. Which may be important as the fiance
appears to wish to support the girl. However so enthused is she by Mr Dwight’s
words she feels as though she should be supporting her fiancé. This may be
important as it brings an element of conflict into the story. The couple are due to
get married yet they have yet agreed upon how they will finance themselves in the
future.
It is also possible that Greene is exploring the theme of independence. The
girl feels as though she can live her life on the advance and royalties she is to
receive for the book. However her mind may be clouded by the fact that the book
has to be a success. Which she believes it will be based solely on Mr Dwight’s
opinion. If anything the advance allows the girl to push for her independence and
not be as reliant on her fiance. Which may be important as at the time the story was
written very few women would have been independent of their husbands. It is as
though the girl feels empowered though this empowerment appears to be based
solely on the advance that Mr Dwight has promised her. She is not apprehensive
about the success of the book though both the narrator and her fiancé are. The
girl’s fiance wants something in life that is more solid. Hence his consideration of
the job his uncle has offered him.
What is also interesting about the discussion between the girl and her fiance
is that the reader can sense the fiance’s fear. He wants his impending marriage to
the girl to be based on something that is real and not on the royalties that might or
might not be received for the girl’s book. It is not that he doesn’t believe that the
book will be a success but he is not prepared to take the risk. It is as though he
knows life will only be harder for not only himself but for the girl too. Should the
girl’s book not do as well as she expects it to. The fact that the girl believes the
book will sell in the thousands is also interesting as she is basing her information
on Mr Dwight’s projections and considerations of her talent. If anything the girl
believes every word that Mr Dwight has told her. Which may suggest an element
of innocence. The girl can see no negatives about her book which is something that
would be unusual for a writer. Most writers would at times feel doubtful about
their ability to write something that might merit publication. This is not the case
with the girl. She oozes confidence based solely on Mr Dwight’s backing of her
abilities as a writer.
The eight Japanese gentlemen who are also sitting in the restaurant may also
be important. As a writer the narrator is constantly observing them as he is the girl
and her fiance. Observation is important to a writer yet the girl when she leaves the
restaurant misses the fact that there were some Japanese gentlemen dining in the
restaurant. This may be ironic as Mr Dwight has considered the girl to have good
powers of observation as shown in The Chelsea Set. Yet she is not observant
enough to see the group of Japanese gentlemen. If anything the reader is left
suspecting that the girl’s book will be a failure and any hopes or aspirations she
might have to continue as a writer may not bear fruit. Without her knowing it she
has been tested and failed the test. Whereas the narrator has observed everybody in
the restaurant and relayed the information to the reader. As a writer should do. The
one saving grace for the girl is the fact that her fiance is so level-headed. He is
thinking of the future while the girl is thinking of the here and now. Swayed by the
advance made to her by Mr Dwight. The reader left aware that the sense of
empowerment that the girl feels while in the restaurant may be short lived.
I don`t like the story, seemed to me very hysterical and loped on herself.