The Power and the Glory an In-Depth Analysis

In the book The Power and the Glory, by Graham Greene, there is a little boy. When his mother first read to him the story of Juan, the martyr, the little boy showed little interest and even denounced it. He refused to believe any of it. Afterwards, he encountered the lieutenant, who showed the young boy his gun. The boy's denial of the story of the martyr and admiration for the lieutenant displays his lack of faith. He does not understand religion at all. Instead, he only sees the physical aspects, such as the gun.

This greatly contrasts with the final scene, when the mother finishes the story of Juan. This time, however, the young boy conveys sincere interest and even questions if the man (the priest) executed earlier that day was also a hero. This marks the pivotal point when the young boy discovers faith and acceptance of religion. He shows his defiance towards the lieutenant who killed the martyr, a hero in the eyes of the young boy. Furthermore, the young boys dream also alludes to more religious aspects. His dream of the priest present in his house the following day is almost a resurrection of a hero. This could be related to the resurrection of Christ. Additionally, the boy's warm reception of the new priest seeking Senora further strengthens the boy's desire to immerse himself in faith. The boy views the new priest as a hero as well and realizes that the heroes are not gone. This conveys the notion that the influence of the church can never be eliminated. The author, Graham Greene utilizes the boy's embracement of religion to confirm that the priest did have a positive effect on those around him. Despite his humility and regrets of going to "God empty-handed," the priest accomplishes and truly has an impact on the people he encounters (199).

"O God, I am sorry and beg pardon for all my sins..." Despite his efforts to do confessions by himself, he could not complete them. Instead, his thoughts turned towards his meaning and purpose of life. In his final thoughts, he convinces himself that he did not do anything beneficial for anyone. He believes his life has been useless because it had no purpose did not influence anybody.

But contrary to his convictions, the priest touched the lives of all those that he encountered and interacted with. For example, after having a relatively brief conversation and a drink with the priest, Mr. Trench is inspired to write to his wife. The priest instilled in Mr. Trench, more vitality and meaning to life; consequently, Mr. Trench lost some of his indifference. Furthermore, after speaking with the priest, Coral Fellows showed an increased interest in religion. Her desire to learn more about faith shows that though she claims to have given up religion, her encounter with the priest has revived some of her faith. The author places a strong emphasis on the common people's reactions and attitudes towards faith. He describes how they are all very eager to say their confessions and Greene uses quantitative language, such as the money and the possible 100 baptisms, to convey to the reader the importance of religion. This allows for a contrast and helps the reader more readily understand the lieutenant's hatred of religion.

The priest encounters many near death experiences or narrow escapes from capture. When he went to the Fellow's house to seek the aid of Coral, he found the house abandoned. The only living thing left was their dog, which was a ragged mess. On the verge of death from starvation, the priest fights with the dog for a bone. While he is reduced to less inhumane actions, he does not die. Afterwards, he encounters a man possessing a rifle. When asked his identity, the priest does not attempt to lie and reveals his true identity. But to his fortune, the man does not care if he's a priest and offers his help.

The priest suffers greatly, but God keeps him alive. One conclusion that can be drawn is that God keeps the priest alive until he makes he has his revelation. Greene uses this to convey the notion that God guides the "bad" priest towards a nobler path. The priest's route is seen as almost predetermined and he is simply walked through the guided path towards a revelation and true acceptance of faith. It is only when he embraces the faith that he finds himself in a safe haven.

The lieutenant has a stereotypical view of priests, which hinders his ability to locate and arrest the priest. He believed all priests to be corrupt and to be clergymen. He sought after a man that was clean cut and possessed other stereotypical attributes of a priest.

For example, after the priest returned to his hometown, he says the Mass. By the time he finishes, the soldiers have already surrounded the village and he has no way of escaping. As each male is interviewed, the priest is almost certain that he will meet his demise here. However, the lieutenant assumes that he could not be the priest since his hands were so calloused and rough. Afterwards, the lieutenant encounters the priest once more after the priest is arrested for possession of alcohol. Both times, the lieutenant's decisions were based on his misconceptions. Through these scenes, Greene attempts to show the ignorance and set mission of the lieutenant.

"I tell you I am in a state of mortal sin. (119)" He is referring to his old habits that were condemned by others, such as being a drunkard and having an illegitimate child. Furthermore, he stayed while the other priests fled because he wanted the pride of being a martyr. He stayed more for his own selfish reasons. However, with his new revelation and sincere acceptance of faith towards the end of the book, he attempts to simply do the right thing.

He returns to the gringo to listen to his confession, but the gringo dies without confessing. Afterwards, the priest admits to the lieutenant that he only stayed in the state to make himself look good. His new faith allowed him to express his feelings truthfully and unashamed. Because he had truly embraced faith prior to turning himself in, his actions became morally correct. This shows a shift in his actions from pragmatic to correct. This is a contrast to the Machiavellian saying, "the end justifies the means."

Source:

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/powerglory/index.html