That Eye, The Sky Discussion Essay

874 Words4 Pages
“Fear makes strangers of people who would be friends.” – Shirley MacLaine. Everyone is a stranger to someone; and most people choose not to associate with strangers on the basis of fear. Just because someone is unfamiliar does not mean they are threatening, but it often assumed so, as it is better to be safe than sorry. So the arrival of Henry Warburton to the Flack family in the novel That Eye, The Sky, is seen as quite unusual to us readers as, most likely, people who live in the city or suburbs. In country life, however, there is a greater trust in the small community, and people are brought up with different standards and morals; as well as their naivety to common city thinking. The effect of the arrival of Henry is shown through many different aspects. Religion is the major focus that Henry tries to drive into the Flack household. He is able to get into the minds of Morton and Alice Flack by taking advantage of their unsophisticated nature. They are at first sceptical when he arrives at their front doorstep, but eventually let him in to help with Sam Flack. “Well, you might as well come in, now you’re here” (Alice – Pg. 53). This is something that would unlikely ever happen in city and suburban areas, as the people are largely more educated on these matters. After sometime passes, most of the Flacks start to cling to Henry, putting him in the ‘father-role’. Henry takes advantage of the moment and starts preaching to them about God and Christianity. He answers many of Ort’s questions, explaining what and who ‘that eye in the sky’ is. They cleave to his religious words, in eventual hope that things with Sam will recover. The religious effect Henry has, on this small community of the Flack family, is quite significant in the perspective that he has no apparent connection to them at all. Secondly, another major effect that strangers can have on small
Open Document