Such Is My Beloved

First time: innocence, second time: corruption, third time: physical love vs. Divine love. Many critics have complained that this novel, such is My Beloved, was too simply written. The complainant often is that the author Morley Callaghan tends to tell the reader what the characters feel, think, and do. This does not leave for much critical thinking on the reader’s part. That may be true, for someone who reads the novel once, but for someone who has read the novel more the once it is the total opposite. The second time, one reads the novel, they finally realize the corruption that is surrounding the novel and the third time is when it finally hits, that one of the main themes or conflict, per say,is physical love vs. Divine love. What is physical love, divine love? Physical love would be the synonym of sexual love; while divine love would partake in the love God would hold for his/her patrons.
In this novel, the conflict of whether Father Dowling holds physical or divine love for the two prostitutes, Ronnie and Midge, is exploitedthroughout the whole novel. This conflict helps develop the characters such as Father Dowling, in Such is My Beloved.
Father Dowling: eager, enthusiastive, passionate, a jolly person, happy, willing to help anyone. That is what Father Dowling is to someone who looks in from the outside. That is because many do not see the tormented, confused, jealous person that Father Dowling is. Throughout, the novel the question of whether Father Dowling holds physical or divine love for the girls torments the readers. The first clue to show his wicked naturecould be when he comes back from visiting the girls, and does not inform the other priest as to what he is doing. Usually, one would think that if the priest had good intentions, he would inform the whole world as to what he is doing. And if he holds towards the girls’ divine love, would he not want to inform the whole world of this. But Father Dowling does not do this; his excuse is that the...