The Night of the Hunter and Religion

In Charles Laughton's 1955 film The Night of the Hunter, the main character of Harry Powell is one of great mystery. Early in the film, Ben Harper asks Powell what religion he professes, being that he claims to be a reverend. Powell responds by telling Harper that his religion is "The religion the Almighty and me worked out betwixt us". This is our first indication that Harry Powell is no conventional reverend. Being that Powell will not put a name to his religion and simply refers to it as what he and God have worked out between the two of them, we can surmise that Powell has created is own form of religion in order to justify his actions and lifestyle.

"First, there is Powell's attitude toward women, perhaps the most disturbing element of the film. He displays an almost pathological disgust toward women, manifested in his routine murders." (Struder). Powell's feelings toward women are no secret, however, his motivation and reasoning behind these feelings is somewhat of a mystery. Recalling the scene in which Powell is at the burlesque house, when the scantily clad, well scantily for the time period portrayed, woman appears on stage, Powell's knife, a phallic symbol throughout the course of the film, cuts through his coat pocket and stands erect. At first viewing, this scene may seem like simply an over exaggerated visual symbolism of Powell's sexual arousal. However, as the film progresses and we learn of his views of women and sex in general, it becomes clear that this is not the case. Instead, the emergence of Powell's knife clearly portrays something else. "Powell carries a knife, which he uses as a substitute for sex. In one scene, he responds to an erotic dancer by switching the blade upward. The implication: Powell is impotent, and the knife stands in for his penis." (Struder). Is Powell impotent? Perhaps he is, and perhaps his feelings about women and his murderous habits indicate this. After all, on Powell's honeymoon night with his new bride Willa, he denies her sex. Powell's reasoning to Willa has nothing to do with his potential impotence. Powell gives a distorted biblical reasoning for his abstinence, almost as if he is quoting half of a scripture in order to imply a meaning that was not intended. "Powell has a hypnotic effect on nearly every woman he encounters, which he always uses to his advantage. Once they are in his web, he violently condemns them, preaching that women since Eve have corrupted men with their flesh, that they are made for begetting children and nothing else. In a particularly disturbing scene, he is leading a rally of believers, and his new wife (the widow of a man he met in prison) gives her testimony: she blames herself and her feminine impulses for her husband's sin and eventual imprisonment." (Struder).

Powell tells Willa that a woman's body is designed for childbirth, and that unless she desires to have more children, she shouldn't lust for intercourse. After all, he tells her, women have been poisoning men with lust over their skin since Eve walked the Earth. Powell's claim that women were designed for childbirth can't be disputed as it is biblically, and certainly biologically correct. However, he conveniently fails to recognize any part of scripture that portrays sexual intercourse as something to be experienced and restricted to a married man and woman, without childbirth being mentioned. Perhaps this is his distorted way of ignoring his impotence and pretending that he is perfectly fine, while women who might potentially be sexual attracted to him are the impure, improper ones.

Later in the film, when Willa overhears Powell questioning Pearl about the location of the money her father stole, Willa begins to doubt Powell's earlier testimony that Ben Harper told him that the money was at the bottom of the river while he was "preaching" in prison, which in itself is Powell's own rationalization of being in prison, "to preach the word" never mind the fact that he is a criminal. Willa asks him if the money really is at the bottom of the river. Powell's response, in this bedroom setting with an eerily church shaped steeple ceiling, is to raise his hand and look into the air, as if getting confirmation from God, for the act he is about to embark upon. It is highly debated as to whether or not Powell hears a voice or not and if he does hear a voice, is it the voice of God or simply the voice of his own madness? The film doesn't answer this question and leaves it up to the viewer to be deciphered. Regardless of the authenticity of Powell's conversation with God, he uses it as his rationalization for what is about to come. Powell extends his knife as his wife lies on the bed, and in the most intimate moment between them, crawls on top of her, in an almost sensual way, and then drives the knife into her. Powell could use an endless array of seemingly biblical excuses for his actions, she was disrespectful to her husband, she was lustful and a sinner, however, even with all of these reasons, he ignores the commandment, thou shall not kill. In fact, in an earlier "conversation with God", Powell gives validity to his murderous habits by pointing out that the Bible is full of murder. In other words, Powell is picking and choosing, creating a greatly skewed interpretation of scripture.

Aside from taking the life of another, Harry Powell uses his "faith" and his interpretation of scripture as an excuse for his own greed. "In "Night of the Hunter," Powell is driven entirely by greed. Powell's greed reminds me of the greed that stains evangelicalism to this day. Greed has become characteristic of the televangelists of our world - continually asking for money, promising the riches of the Kingdom while they fatten their purses." (Struder).

The main action of the plot is set into motion when Powell discovers that his cellmate, Harper, hid the ten thousand dollars that he stole. Powell reacts immediately, remarking that he could build a mighty big church with ten thousand dollars; however, I never bought for a second that he was actually going to build a church if he ever got his hands on the money. Powell sees his criminal actions as being committed out of need and necessity, and therefore they are righteous. The charges against Powell that place him in jail at the beginning of the film are those of grand theft auto. After all, how could a "man of God" preach the word if he can't get around? Powell is willing to go to any lengths in order obtain the money. He threatens the children, murders his wife Willa, and deceives the entire town. I'm confident that once Powell learns the actual location of the money, and the fact that the children have been hiding it right under his nose the entire time, that he is willing to kill the children and leave with the money. However, the children elude him and drift down the river. This isn't enough for Powell, he simply will not let that money go. He goes even further in his quest. Once again he "kills out of necessity", and steals a horse from the framer who he has just murdered. All the while singing the hymn "Leaning On The Everlasting Arms". Still believing whole-heartedly that he is doing God's will.

We are never told exactly what it is that Powell wants with the money. Perhaps he is planning on using it to live off of, as he travels from town to town, preying on its inhabitants. Or, maybe in some twisted way, Powell actually wants to build a church. If this were the case, however, I believe that Powell would be creating a situation where he could manipulate people to worship himself, rather than God, as it seems he convinces the townspeople to do from the moment he arrives.

As the children flee from Powell, the meet Rachel, who befriends them and takes them in. Rachel's character is in extreme opposition to "Reverend" Powell. "Rachel (significantly named after the Biblical Rachel, who wept for her children) is the film's true Christian. She quotes the Bible verbatim, and practices its teachings nearly to perfection. She cares for the widow and the orphan just as Powell slays and abuses them. When Powell comes hunting for John and Pearl, she is not fooled by his façade for an instant." (Struder).

While the majority of the film focuses on Powell's wrong doings, the revelation of Rachel's character shows us exactly why Powell's actions are wrong. Rachel humbles herself before God. She does exactly what God asks; she cares for the widow and protects the child just as she should, and she asks for nothing in return. No monetary gain, no admiration, not even any recognition. Rachel understands that God recognizes her efforts and that it couldn't matter less if any human being noticed. Indeed, Rachel shows us what is wrong with Powell's interpretation of scripture meaning. "...Powell - he is the film's nucleus, its beginning and end. He manages to practice Christianity by breaking all of its rules. He offends and condemns, all in the name of God. Whether his faith is right or wrong, it is undoubtedly real, and that is why he is so dangerous. He not only causes little ones to stumble, he purposely trips them." (Struder).

Ultimately, the distinction between good an evil is a personal interpretation to be made individually, however, I feel that most would agree that there is something distinctly evil about Harry Powell. "Laughton, however, makes no attempt to explain Reverend Harry Powell's aberrations; he is unadulterated evil, wrapped in the mantle of Bible-belt religion. A murderer, liar, poseur, and "minister"...who knows? The viewer is left to decide." (Ravage 46).

Whether you view Powell as evil or not, it is clear that Powell uses his own interpretations of religion in order to justify his actions, and simply to promote his own well-being and advancement.

Works Cited

Callow, Simon. The Night of the Hunter. London: The British Film Institute, 2002. Night of the Hunter. Dir. Charles Laughton. Perf. Robert Mitchum and Lillian Gish. 1955. DVD. United Artists.

Ravage, Jack. "Night of the Hunter [On Videotape]." Film Quarterly Jan 1998.

Struder, Seth. Vagrant Café - Christian Cinema. 2-28-2007. .