Atomic weapons are used in the novel as a symbol of the violence and destructiveness of modern life. In the first chapter, Wormold says that the Phastcleaner’s company is putting out a new vacuum cleaner called the Atomic Pile. He worries that the negative implications of the name could drive business away. Catholic priests in Cuba are preaching against “the misuse of science,” arguing that “those who believe in heaven on earth […] are creating a hell” (5). Dr. Hasselbacher goes so far as to say that things are not worth worrying about anymore, because an atomic bomb could end our lives in an instant (5). Despite these serious implications, Greene mocks atomic weaponry by applying its vernacular to something as banal as a vacuum cleaner. This is brought home when Wormold offers Secret Service drawings of his Atomic Pile cleaner in the guise of blueprints for an actual atomic weapon.

Observing Milly’s behavior, Wormold reflects that she seems half of the time to be accompanied by an invisible duenna—a Spanish term for an older woman who acts as an escort or chaperone for a young lady. These are the times when