4 minute read
A Dialogue with the Devil
Magdalena Sikora
Encountering the devil sounds like a pretty horrifying experience, doesn’t it? He’s cruel, deceitful, constantly on a quest to corrupt people, and overall evil to the bone. But what about an encounter with a devil who is actually not so devilish?
This is the case in James Robertson’s book The Testament of Gideon Mack, where the devil is not the typical master of all that is evil. Don’t get me wrong, he is still responsible for much of what is bad in the world. However, in this book he is going through a professional burn-out, which makes him appear more human. If we ignore his minor outbursts of anger, he even seems almost likeable. Our particular devil comes across Gideon Mack, a faithless minister of the Church of Scotland, and they engage in an intriguing dialogue. It’s a conversation that doesn’t fall short of topics touching upon existential as well as religious matters.
In their seemingly casual conversation, they bring up the notion of evil as it lies at the core of the Devil’s activity. Gideon has never really believed in the existence of either God or the devil, and his understanding of the latter is rather stereotypical, so to be sure he asks the devil what it is that the fiend actually does. He answers that he doesn’t really do much nowadays, suggesting that there is no need for him to do his usual stuff because people are “going to hell on a handcart” without any help. With this statement, the devil challenges the traditional religious conviction about evil and thus encourages Gideon to reflect on his own beliefs. As readers, we are also provoked to think about such things. Since the one considered responsible for evil just sits in his cave in Scotland jobless and hopeless, we must be the
After three days Gideon emerges, as if resurrected, from the depths of the cave and he is ready to preach to people about his newly acquired knowledge. Of course, nobody believes him. We also get a hint about Gideon possibly being an unreliable narrator, which makes us question his story. It doesn’t matter though. What counts is the fact that, as Gideon was made to look back on his life and faith, we are also invited to take a closer look at our own beliefs.
Although the meeting between Gideon and the Devil is definitely the climax of the book, what is equally vital is the previous 250 pages which describe Gideon’s journey to realising that he built his life on lies and pretending to be somebody he isn’t. The Testament of Gideon Mack is a story of duality, internal conflict, and searching for something that would end one’s struggle. Fortunately, all of the lies, doubts, or problems Gideon’s gathered along the way seem to have all been resolved with just a short conversation. His whole life led up to that moment of “epiphany” when he finally faced up to his life.
I suppose you could reread the book a million times but the answers as to what happened in that cave or whether something happened there at all will remain a mystery. Thanks to James Robertson, who was careful enough not to tip the scale towards one specific interpretation, the book can be interpreted in countless ways. Perhaps there simply is no rational explanation for some of the questions which gives the book an unmatchable sense of mystery and otherworldliness. However, what is certain is that the experience of reading The Testament of Gideon Mack doesn’t end with the last page read. The character of Gideon Mack is sure to linger in the reader’s mind long after the book is finished. You’d be sure to retrace his life story and focus on the themes which are at the heart of the book but also human existence in general: life, death, love, faith, evil, and truth.
