The Bell

This theme intersects with that of spirituality and materialism in its examination of morality. Murdoch positions the Imber community and its members as the middle ground between religious fervor that requires strict obedience to prescribed notions of good and evil and the worldliness that allows for a relative, or rather largely philosophical, understanding of such terms. The author conveys these two perspectives primarily through the sermons that James and Michael give in Chapters 9 and 16, respectively.

Although James is the more pragmatic character, the attitude he expresses in the sermon is one of strict religious morality that brooks no gray areas: “The chief requirement of the good life […] is to live without any image of oneself” (131). James advocates for self-effacement, suggesting that lack of awareness of temptation reduces the occasion to sin. He refers to the original sin and the way the sin marks us forever as equal but warns that humanity’s state of sinfulness is “something to be shunned and not something to be investigated” (132). Thus, virtue comes from obeying the law of God and removing the temptations of self-knowledge and self-indulgence, trusting in God to guide us through the complexities of life. This idea is one of moral passivity—of retreat from participation in the world around us or our own psychological progress. “How false it is to tell our young people to seek experience!” states James (135), positioning innocence as the ultimate virtue and advocating for a profound withdrawal from the profane concerns of life. The enclosed nuns, James himself, and (for the most part) Catherine Fawley embody these principles of sinless existence.

In direct opposition to James, Michael states in his address that “One must know oneself sufficiently to know what is the next thing. One must study carefully how best to use such strength as one has” (200). In other words, to avoid sin, we must learn about ourselves, our temptations and insecurities, and so understand how to strive toward virtuousness and circumvent sin. Michael claims that “in our imperfection and also in the possibility of our perfection, we differ profoundly one from another” (203), and this essential difference between people requires us each to learn who we are and what guides and motivates us. Michael’s ideal of virtue lies not in the absence of self-knowledge but in its opposite—in the profound understanding of one’s inner self. Michael’s behavior through the novel shows us his inner struggle to fight what he perceives to be his sinful desires, and the author makes a point of showing us that Michael fails in the long run not because he is sinful by nature, but because he cannot negate his nature: To do that would be a sin.

In September 1957, a British government committee issued a report (known as the Wolfenden Report, after the committee’s chairperson) to look into the criminalization of sexual activity between men. This report signified the first official recommendation that sexual activity between consenting adult men should be legal. Murdoch focuses The Bell (published in 1958) partly on the sexual orientation of Michael Meade, one of its main characters. It is important to note that the author does not politicize the issue but depicts being gay as yet another form of love and desire. This is a significant distinction as it is one of the first works in literature that strives to normalize the issue, if not the particulars of Michael’s story.

Michael Meade has two major, conflicting characteristics: One is that he is a deeply spiritual man who desires to become a priest, and the other is that he is gay. This inner contradiction creates the most significant conflict not just for his character but of the book itself, which explores the potential ramifications of both repressing his orientation and expressing it unsuitably. As a young teacher of 25, Michael becomes infatuated with Nick Fawley, who is 15 at the time. Even though he views the boy as mature for his age, Michael is aware of Nick’s youth; however, he feels compelled to enter into a platonic yet passionate relationship with him. The events cause Michael overwhelming guilt and a sense of having destroyed a young life, but at the time of the novel’s main events, Michael is still in love with Nick.

When the 18-year-old Toby Gashe arrives at Imber Court, Michael begins to project onto him his unexpressed feelings for Nick. Due to the era’s prevailing attitude toward being gay, Michael cannot accept his feelings for Nick and approach him with the truth, so he replicates his prior actions by kissing and seducing young Toby. Murdoch depicts the two events in parallel, although it is clear that Toby is no more than a stand-in for Nick. The irony lies in the fact that Nick is present at Imber Court and potentially available for a relationship with Michael, as it is obvious from their encounters that sexual tension exists between them. However, Michael’s deeply seated hatred of himself and his fantasy of priestly celibacy prevent him from pursuing the one he loves, and he instead preys upon Toby, abusing his youth and inexperience. Murdoch depicts Michael not as a victim of his desires, but of a time that forbids him to accept himself fully and fulfill his fantasies. By placing Toby in the same situation as he once did Nick, Michael commits another grave error, but luckily, Toby is a much more grounded and self-aware young man (which perhaps has to do with the fact that he is older and confident in his attraction to women). Nick, on the other hand, appears to have been forever changed by the experience, and since he too cannot live his life in the open and free of shame, he commits suicide.