Infidelity

One of the main themes in A Severed Head by Iris Murdoch is infidelity. There is such a tremendous amount of infidelity in the book that it is difficult to keep straight who is betraying whom. At first the reader is led to believe that the only person being unfaithful is Martin. The tale ends up revealing that everyone has been unfaithful in some way.

The first instance of infidelity relates to Martin and his mistress Georgie, a young woman, carefree and well educated. The second instance of infidelity relates to Antonia, Martin's wife, and her affair with Palmer Anderson, Martin's best friend and Antonia's psychoanalyst. Antonia and Palmer fell in love and much to Martin's shock and dismay Antonia wants to leave him to marry Palmer.

The issue would change his Martin's outlook on his marriage and puts his relationship with Georgie into jeopardy. Much later in...