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The Testament by John Grisham is a story with a strong underlying moral base. The characters of Troy Phelan and his daughter Rachel Lane are opposites in every sense of the word. Their philosophies towards other people are at two disparate ends of the spectrum. While ruthless Troy achieves everything at the expense of others, humble Rachel gives up everything to help others. That these two people could be father and daughter is almost inconceivable. Nevertheless, by examining the actions these differing people take, strong conclusions can be made about the link between material wealth and moral bankruptcy.
Troy Phelan is an incredibly wealthy man. So wealthy that it is almost impossible for the average person to grasp his sort of fortune. He has experienced all that money has to offer - countless cars, countless women, and countless adventures. But at the end of his life, when all is said and done, he has nothing. His contact with those closest to him has been his life’s failure – he has not been a real father nor has he ever been a real husband.
As he puts it, “I am estranged from all the wives and all the children.
They’re gathered here today because I’m dying and it’s time to divide the money.” (p.2) But no one knows that Troy Phelan is not really dying. While they all spend money they have not yet inherited, he hatches a plot to commit suicide and, in a final act of cruelty to those closest to him, disinherits all of his ex-wives and children leaving them all heavily in debt and as ruined as he is.
Were it not for the tragedy of his situation, Troy’s final actions could be seen as the ultimate act of cruelty. However, taking into consideration the pathetic situation that a man of his power has found himself in, one can do little more than pity this seemingly influential and yet wretchedly weak man. He blames everyone except himself for the way his children have turned out – greedy and self-centered, he fails to see how they, in fact mirror him. This is a man who, despite a tough exterior, in his last days has no one and thus, little more to do than plot his own dramatic demise.
Troy’s illegitimate daughter Rachel shares neither her father’s money nor his outlook on life. She grew up with adoptive parents after a one night stand with Troy left her young single mother wrecked, alone and suicidal. A doctor, Rachel is a devout Christian and has devoted her life to God by serving Him as a missionary in the far, remote jungles of Brazil with an organization called World Tribes. After changing her name to Rachel Porter to hide her identity and connection to Troy Phelan, she confides with only one person, her colleague Neva at World Tribes as to her real identity.
Rachel is neither selfish nor self-centered. Everything she does is for the Indian people who she has adopted as her family. Rachel rejects the notion of the American Dream and the materialism that accompanies it. In her words, “It's a sad culture.
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People live in a frenzy. They work all the time to make money to buy things to impress other people. They're measured by what they own.” (p. 233) In contrast to her father, she owns almost nothing and yet is the happiest person in the novel.
Rachel shocks everyone when she refuses the inheritance that her father Troy leaves her after his suicide. Few can grasp the notion that the fortune is not enough to tempt her away from her life in the Brazilian jungle. But for Rachel, the money would only complicate the simple life she has built for herself.
Unlike all of Troy’s other children, Rachel is totally and completely satisfied with her life and has no wish to complicate it with 11 billion dollars. When she finally does reconsider, she does it for reasons that would not enter the minds of most materially based people -she is already ill herself and wills the money to charity for the continuation of missionary work in remote parts of the world. Not one single penny of her father’s money benefits Rachel’s life directly and that is exactly as she wishes.
The Testament contrasts the ideologies of a father and daughter who could not be more dissimilar. Troy’s life of adventure and fortune leaves him an empty soul. Alone and hated at death, no one mourns him. In contrast, Rachel lives a rich and empowering life. She sacrifices material comforts for a life serving God in remote jungles of the world and, in doing so, is fulfilled. When she dies in the remote jungles of Brazil, she is mourned by all who were touched by her selflessness and warm heart. In this story, the richest of all is Rachel who in exchange for wealth beyond belief chooses simplicity and a love of her fellow man.
The Testament by John Grisham. (2017, Mar 20). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-testament-by-john-grisham-essay
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