Actions vs. Intentions Theme Analysis

Throughout his mortal life, Niggle struggles to align his true desires with his actions. While he often completes tasks for his neighbors and general errands (as demanded by the laws of his country), he resents the obligation to do so and would always rather be working on his painting. He is not hard-hearted, and in fact he cares about the people around him, but only enough to feel that he should help them—not enough that he is eager or happy to do so. One of the criticisms the First Voice makes of Niggle when deciding whether to move him to the “next stage” is that he complained about the tasks he was asked to carry out and treated them as “interruptions.” In turn, the First Voice essentially suggests that people should not only be judged on their actions, but also on the strength of their intentions—what matters, in this context, is whether they are genuinely willing to help others. However, the Second Voice proposes that Niggle made a reasonable effort to follow his country’s laws and that his virtue showed through in his lack of expectation for a reward. It’s implied, then, that virtue can be found in a person’s overall willingness to do the right thing, no matter how hard they find it or how reluctant they may be. This, the story seems to suggest, might be a more realistic expectation to hold people to, since it accounts for the fact that humans are often flawed but still ultimately capable of doing the right thing.