A Work of Accusation
Summary
By Harry How
A doctor mourns the suicide of his friend and artist Godfrey Huntingdon by reviewing his paintings and sketches. When Huntingdon was alive, the doctor shared the laws of science with his friend to ensure the art would be accurate. This attention to detail made Huntingdon a very accomplished artist; his only rival was the artist Wilfred Colensoe. When the doctor reviews the final package in Huntingdon’s collection, he is surprised to discover sketches of a pistol. He wonders if Huntingdon’s death is not a suicide, but an accident: the artist may have been firing the gun to create accurate sketches. Huntingdon’s housekeeper Mrs. Thompson heard a gun firing in the days before the apparent suicide, which might support this theory. As a man knowledgeable in “physic” and the medical status of his friend, however, the doctor is confident that Huntingdon would not have accidentally shot himself. The doctor suspects Huntingdon was murdered, but needs evidence to prove the theory.
As time goes on, the doctor sees many artists in his consulting room, including Huntingdon’s old rival Wilfred Colensoe. Colensoe is extremely tired, but he refuses to take a break. To limit the artist’s working hours, the doctor invites Colensoe to a vacation house. Colensoe can work at limited times, and the doctor can oversee his care. A fortnight into the vacation, the doctor discovers Colensoe walking alone at midnight. He is sleepwalking! The doctor feels sorry for Colensoe as he paints in his sleep, but his compassion turns to horror when the artist utters “Murder!” and then “Huntingdon!”.
At this moment, the doctor knows Colensoe is his friend’s killer, but he also knows that the outburst of a sleeping man is not evidence. The doctor makes a plan. Over ten nights, the doctor prepares a canvas for Colensoe, and each night: “the artist got nearer to accomplishing his own condemnation. And as the picture grew more like the man he had murdered, so his dream became more intense. His features showed that. The rapidity of his brush revealed the rush of thoughts within, of an anxiety to complete his task” (637). Finally, when the portrait of Huntingdon is complete, the doctor confronts Colensoe with his own creation. With a shriek, Colensoe falls to the ground dead. On his dressing table, the artist left a confession of his crimes. Colensoe found Huntingdon firing a gun for his sketches, and shot him in response. Since then, Colensoe has since been plagued: “A guilty conscience only means a living death” (638).
About The Story
"A Work of Accusation" reflects the psychological concept of the unconscious, which was developed by early scholars William James and Sigmund Freud. The unconscious refers to aspects of the human mind that individuals do not recognize within themselves. While individuals are conscious of some thoughts, feelings, and memories, many that are troubling or traumatic are outside of awareness. Even though individuals are not aware of unconscious emotions and memories, they heavily influence everyday experience. The work of early Psychologists, known as Psychoanalysts, focused on helping individuals negatively impacted by aspects of their unconscious.
The doctor in "A Work of Accusation" is not a Psychoanalyst studying the unconscious (the occupation was just emerging the 1890s), but he is interested in how Colensoe’s hidden emotions are revealed through sleepwalking. Colensoe is conscious of his secret crime, but his guilt for the murder is in the realm of the unconscious. This guilt is clear in the third illustration as the artist is visibly unwell from a lack of genuine sleep. Some of the buttons on Colensoe’s coat are unbuttoned, which makes him appear disheveled. Similarly, Colensoe’s facial expression and hand placement demonstrate his exhaustion. When Colensoe is sleepwalking in the fourth image, he is by contrast active and alert. At night, Colensoe has good posture and is clearly focused on expressing his guilt on the canvas.
"A Work of Accusation" also contains a moral message about right and wrong behaviour. Colensoe seemingly completed a perfect crime, as Huntingdon’s death is ruled a suicide, but he pays for the crime with his life. This is depicted in the final illustration when Colensoe appears to have gone mad. The artist is shrieking, flailing his arms, and leaning backwards. The story shifts the consequences of crime from being external (i.e.: being arrested and prosecuted by the court) to being internal (i.e.: being overwhelmed with guilt). In doing so, it speculates on how the unconscious responds to bad behaviour.