The Long Way Home

Jealousy and resentment of another’s talent is an important theme in the novel, animating both the primary plot about Peter’s disappearance and the secondary murder mystery plot. Peter was jealous of Clara’s talent and success, and this jealousy undermined their marriage and led to their separation. Gamache reflects that even Peter’s love for his wife could not eliminate his jealousy, since Peter “lov[ed] the woman but hat[ed] and fear[ed] what she’d created. Peter didn’t want Clara to die, but he’d almost certainly wanted her paintings to die” (47). Ruth later connects Peter’s jealousy to his inability to be content and grateful, explaining that “some are born to be brilliant. Peter was. But he just couldn’t get there” (277).

Much like Peter, Massey is tormented by his lack of artistic vision. He becomes obsessed with Norman because the other man is a far more talented artist. When Peter and Gamache discuss why Massey preserved one of Norman’s paintings even as he gradually killed the other man, Peter concludes that “for all his faults, Professor Massey loved art. Knew art. I think that painting by Professor Norman must’ve been so great even he couldn’t destroy it” (360). Like Peter, Massey is talented enough to recognize the full scope of someone else’s gift but not generous enough to celebrate it. He is consumed by his lack of inspiration, lamenting that “I haven’t painted in years, you know […] Nothing. Empty” (367). Both men become obsessed with comparing themselves to others and blaming those others for their inadequacy.

There is, however, a key difference in how the theme of jealousy is present for Peter and Massey. Peter ultimately harnesses his jealousy into something transformative and good. He begins to experiment and radically reinvents his artistic practice. Looking at Peter’s newer work, Marcel comments, “I think if Peter’s courage holds and he keeps exploring, he’ll be like few others. Van Gogh, Picasso, Vermeer, Gagnon. Clara Morrow” (262). In addition to evolving as an artist, Peter retains his capacity for love and compassion. He is caring toward Norman, and he sacrifices his life to protect his wife. Massey, by contrast, is consumed by jealousy, and it yields only hatred and violence. While both men feel jealousy based on their lack of artistic talent, Peter is surrounded by a loving and close-knit community whereas Massey is “filled with hate, for those who had what he did not. Not a canvas filled with paint, but a home, and friends and people who cared” (368). Ultimately, jealousy is part of the human experience, and those who have love in their lives can overcome it, but those who do not risk being consumed by it.