The Fatal Flaw”Does such a thing as ‘the fatal flaw’, that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside of literature?” (Tartt, 7) Donna Tartt opens the initial chapter of The Secret History with this profound question. As the reader soon finds out, this is the essence of the novel; the exploration of literary beauty versus reality, specifically the idea of the fatal flaw, seen in classic literature. The Secret History by Donna Tartt proves that this flaw is present in modern society through the use of the main characters of the novel; Richard, Henry and Julian. Tartt beautifully explores this theme in relation to what the characters of the novel are immersed in, creating irony, foreshadowing, and a brilliant overall storyline.

The main character of the novel is Richard, and he is the first to admit that he has a fatal flaw. In the beginning of the novel, when Richard is introducing himself, he talks about the existence of the presumed literary illusion. “I used to think it didn’t. Now I think it does. And mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.” (Tartt, 7) Although this flaw may not be physically fatal for Richard, it is undoubtedly the reason he makes stupid decisions, leading him to the state of confusion, depression and regret that he is left in at the end of the story. Because he is so immersed and taken in by the classics, Richard is also influenced by the ideas and possibilities of its literature. One of the characteristic things about ancient Greek literature is that in tragedies, the hero would have a personal flaw which would lead to their demise. It never occurred to Richard that could be true in modern life. In order to analyse this flaw, firstly, the character itself must be examined. Richard is generally a bystander through most of the story. It is through his eyes that everything is seen, and rarely does he do anything himself throughout the various events in the novel.

He also does not have a definite personality, as at one point, he can be seen doing drugs and having casual sex like many in his age group. But at another point, he is immersed totally in the world of the classics and unable to see anyone else. These polar characteristics of Richard make it hard for the reader to create an accurate mental picture of the character. However, what can be seen steadily in Richard’s character is his flaw. That flaw that seems to bring Richard all his troubles cannot be easily defined; “…a morbid longing for the picturesque…” (Tartt, 7). This means that Richard is obsessed with having the perfect picture of things around him, driving him to a state of mental disease. He wants everything to fit into a picture frame, no matter what the cost is. This can be seen through his numerous descriptions as he narrated, especially those of people. The way he describes Camilla is so passionate, it is frightening on some occasions.

Bunny’s death is where his flaw is best seen. Beginning from when Bunny started acting different near the end of his life, and when he approached Richard to tell him about the murder, Richard fails to act logically, acting in a way that he thought would have made the picture perfect. As he aided Bunny’s murder, and as the group was trying to cope with what they had done, Richard was trying to see the poetry in Bunny’s murder. Another example is when Henry kills himself, and he is shot. The pain he is in is due more to the imperfection of the situation, rather than the physical pain. So evidently, the thing blinding Richard is his perfectionism, and the only thing that saves him in the end is his realization of this. Even in the end, however, he is not saved from all emotional damage he endured.

Henry is another character that displays a fatal flaw. Out of Julian’s six students, Henry is undoubtedly the one most interested in what he is studying. The classics for him are a way of life, an escape from the “boredom” of modern society. As Richard points out, “Henry is the type of person who would translate a whole book into Latin just for fun…” (Tartt, 244) His fascination with this field of literature is so strong, that it leads him to think about whether the myths he reads about really existed; specifically the idea of Bacchanalia. It is his curiosity here that leads the whole group into a nightmare. However, his fatal flaw is not this. Henry’s flaw can be seen when he is trying to fix what happened the night of Bacchanal. He tries to escape the situation until Bunny finds out. His resolve is to kill him in a way that is least dangerous for them. He mercilessly tests his mushroom poison on his neighbour’s dogs, killing one of them.

He researches poisons and weapons and methods of death, until finally resolving to “…make it seem natural.” (Tartt, 294) These are all examples of the cold and relentless heart that Henry has. Because he is so overly intellectual, he fails to use his heart and his conscience, doing only what is logically right for him. He is not selfish, of course, but being taught by the ambiguous Julian Morrow, his heart is like stone, and he is able to do anything that would land him in a good position. He believes that the end justifies the means, and it is here that he fails to see that through evil actions, the end itself cannot be good. That is why in the end, after realizing this too late, he kills himself because all his treasured relationships are destroyed, mainly with Julian. Henry is a fine example of how ignorance to the fatal flaw is truly deadly.

The final character, perhaps the one who displays the flaw the most, is Julian. Julian is one of the static characters, as he is blind throughout the whole story. His teaching methods are unorthodox, as he likes to have only a few students in his class, hand picking each one. He believes that having many teachers can be harmful to the young mind, yet it is perhaps this teaching method that gets everyone into trouble. This is why, in a way, Julian is the antagonist. Where he “saves” the young mind of confusion, he fills it up with an eccentric outlook of life. As he teaches them, he continually draws away from the notion of morality, and conscience. He unconsciously teaches them that the end justifies the means, through the many literary analyses that they do.

In the end, when he understands that what he has taught can be misleading, it is too late. “George Orwell – a keen observer of what lay behind the glitter of constructed facades, social and otherwise – had met Julian on several occasions, and had not liked him. To a friend he wrote: ‘Upon meeting Julian Morrow, one has the impression that he is a man of extraordinary sympathy and warmth. But what you call his ‘Asiatic serenity’ is, I think, a mask for great coldness.’” (Tartt, 511) This is a perfect examination of Julian, and it is here that one can see Julian’s flaw. His warmness is actually so cold and inhuman that he cannot be more misleading. “One of Julian’s most attractive qualities is his inability to see anyone or anything in its true light.” (Tartt, 510) was Richard’s description of Julian. But years later, he regrets thinking that way, because as attractive as it may have been, it was fatal.

As these very human examples from Donna Tartt’s The Secret History show, the fatal flaw is existent. Some, for example Richard’s, may be less severe than others, because he is able to admit it. But for others like Henry and Julian, the flaw is fatal. Tartt’s convincing story leads the reader to see that it is possible for people to be flawed fatally, just like the in works of classic literature. In conclusion, it can be said that the fatal flaw exists without question, but whether this flaw is truly fatal relies on the acknowledgement of it.