The Lockian Monk

This is an old philosophy paper I turned into an Enlightenment Lit class on Matthew Lewis' The Monk and John Locke.

The Monk. This notorious novel was written in 1796, during the transition of the renaissance to the enlightenment, and there seem to be many aspects of both traditions contained within it. For example, the most commonly accepted philosophy of man in the enlightenment was John Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, written in 1690. The Monk is inclusive towards this philosophy, and whether intentional or not on the part of the author, the character of Ambrosio stands, not so much a critique of this enlightenment ideal, but as an example of where this idea can lead when put into a person of ‘superstitious’ ideology. Ambrosio exemplifies the Lockian theory of human understanding, and this works itself out in his steady, downward spiral of degenerative depravity. Locke forms his theory of human understanding on five premises. In The Monk, Ambrosio not only fulfills these premises fully, but also brilliantly executes their results when coupled with non-enlightenment ideals in his horrible, gory, despicable, cowardly, and ultimately faithless death.
Locke’s first premise is, “Idea is the object of thinking”. With this premise, Locke goes on to explain that ‘ideas’ are, “those expressed by the words, ‘whiteness, hardness, sweetness, thinking, motion, man, elephant, army, drunkeness’, and others”. These ideas are material in nature, and completely dependant upon perception. Locke never gives us a definition for immaterial ideas such as justice, truth, beauty, etc. This is in line with Lockes philosophical career. Locke would eventually also work on what would become Social Contract Theory, and, with Thomas Hobbes, be given credited for a school of thought called Materialism. Materialism holds that all things are material, or made of matter. That is, there is no reality outside of that which can be experienced, I.e. no soul, no god, no absolute justice or beauty, etc. Concurrently, if we look past Ambrosio’s position as a monk, we see that he shares many characteristics of a materialist in action, if not in word.
In the opening two paragraphs of chapter two, Ambrosio is alone in his cell, thinking. The object of his thinking is himself. He meditates entirely upon his achievements and awards, and gives himself the credit. He has no thought of spirituality, either with gratefulness to God for making him as he is, nor of the purity of his soul. “He looked round him with exultation; and pride told him loudly, that he was superior to his fellow creatures”. His focus here is on his own experience, not his faith, which is immaterial. This premise of character is the first which sets Ambrosio up for the descent to come. The next premise which does so appears in the very next paragraph.
Locke’s second premise, “All ideas come from sensation or reflection”, functions to officially once and for all stamp out any supernatural reality by directly juxtaposing itself against the popular philosophical argument of a priori ideas. First defined as such by Descartes, and expanded by Kant (who is often termed the father of modern philosophy), an a priori idea is a clear and distinct idea which we have, as humans, prior to experience. These ideas are what compose our conscience, our sense of fairness, love, and appreciation for beauty, truth, and art. If, as Locke asserts, all ideas come from sensation and reflection, than there are no a priori ideas made with us at creation, and thus the whole notion of creation is subject to question. Since none of us have experienced being created, it does not stand as viable to philosophic discussion. Thus, there is no room for even the mention of God or the Soul, being immaterial things which can not be directly experienced. Ambrosio exemplifies this brilliantly in the third paragraph of chapter two, in which we are given a monologue of what Ambrosio really thinks about himself:

‘Who,’ thought he, ‘who but myself has passed the ordeal of youth, yet sees no single stain upon his conscience? Who else has subdued the violence of strong passions and impetuous temperament, and submitted even from the dawn of life to voluntary retirement? I seek for such a man in vain. I see no one but myself possessed of such resolution.’ (38)

If one were to consult Locke, the reason for Ambrosio’s pride would be clear. Ambrosio sees no equal because he literally sees no equal. Having never left the monastery, he has had no experience of sin. He mistakenly thinks inexperience of sin is synonymous with mastery over it. He couldn’t be more wrong.
Thus, in the first scene featuring Ambrosio as a main focus, he is defined as a Lockian character(materialist and experiential). The end of his monologue begins the demonstration of the Lockian theory as it plays out in the rest of Ambrosio’s plot.
Locke’s third premise is, “The objects of sensation are one source of ideas”. In the second chapter, beginning at the end of Ambrosio’s monologue, we see how sensation plays its part in Ambrsio’s experiences to come. His monologue ends with him looking at the painting of the Madonna. For two years, this is the only female at which he has had the liberty to gaze longingly. He does so, and says to himself, “What beauty in that countenance!… how graceful is the turn of that head!…what sweetness, yet what majesty in her divine eyes. How softly her cheek…”. This goes on for some time. He is steadily capturing and cataloguing every physical detail in his sight. Sight is not the only sense which is employed in this manner. As the chapter continues, his pity is extracted from the story of Matilda which he hears from Rosario. He then sees Matilda’s breast, he feels the pain of a snake bite, and he collapses into her arms. Finally, he sees Matilda to be the original model for the Madonna painting which he adores. These material sensations are what Matilda uses to overwhelm and convince Ambrosio to be her lover and revoke his vows. However, at the end of the chapter he has merely given into temptation. He doesn‘t fully delve into his actions until the fifth chapter.
Lockes fourth premise, “The operation of our minds the other source of them,” is fulfilled after he loses his virginity with Matilda when the plot returns in chapter five. "The burst of transport was passed. Ambrosio's lust was satisfied. Pleasure fled, and Shame now usurped her seat in his bosom"(193). With passion and sensation now over, the time for reflection has come to the Lockian Monk. His previous ideas of experience given to him in the monastery are now at odds with his current actions. His reflection is melancholy at first, but Matilda soon talks him out of it. Through the power of reason and reflection she bids him to be her lover and to continue with her in secret. Ambrosio reflects, and comes to this decision: “Ambrosio again raged with desire: the die was thrown: his vows were broken. And why should he refrain from enjoying its reward?"(194).
The fifth premise of Locke, and the most damning for Ambrosio, is “All ideas are one or the other of these”. Throughout the rest of the novel, Ambrosio gets deeper and deeper into his indulgence of sensation and his rational justification of his sin. When sensation and reflection are all that occur in a character who espouses to a higher reality than the material, there is no higher reflection that can occur than the reflection of the sensational, which leads to an absence of a higher reality in that characters thoughts and actions. The presence of Satan in the narrative may at first seem to deny materialism, but Satan manifests himself physically to Ambrosio. Naturally, Ambrosio will reason along Satan’s line because Ambrosio has no physical sensation of God. Since God does not show up in an overt form at all in the novel, Ambrosio can not bring himself to consider anything more than his own broken promises to God, instead of those immaterial ideas of compassion, confession, faith, and repentance. Ambrosio never once cries out to God for salvation from his sin. He never admits his own wretchedness and humbles himself before God, praying to be forgiven and saved from his own depravity. If this fifth premise of Locke were ‘Most ideas are one or the other of these’, Ambrosio might have stood a chance. Sadly, it does not. Locke says, “ALL ideas…,” not most, which leaves Ambrosio no room for repentance, no grace to turn to, no savior to rescue him, and no hope.
In The Monk, materialism reigns. All supernatural elements are disregarded until they are proven true by sensation, and they are dealt with through reflection and reason. This holds true for the bleeding nun, for Matilda’s sorcery, and most of all for Ambrosio, the devil-monk of Madrid. The lesson of the enlightenment stands: there may be a supernatural reality, but until sensed and reflected, it is only superstition, and those who hold by it dogmatically without sensibility will only be the antagonists of healthy, civilized, society.