Greene’s The Power and the Glory
Graham Greene’s novel The Power and the Glory represents people in a way that goes outside of the stereotypical box that we find most comfortable. The whiskey priest is the first example of breaking away from the stereotypes. A priest should be pious and hold himself to the highest standard. The whiskey priest admits that he falls short as an example for what the clergy should look like. He drinks too much and has had an affair, which produced a child. He admits that he is not worthy of the sacrifices that others are making for him. “Oh God, send them someone more worthwhile to suffer for. It seemed to him a damnable mockery that they should sacrifice themselves for a whiskey priest with a bastard child.” (Greene 135) The whiskey priest feels an enormous burden when his status changes from being a priest to being “the priest.” His image may be the only idea of a priest the people will ever have. The priest is someone who should be humble but is only able to be truly humble when he endures the hardships of life on the run. When he finally abandons his own will and sacrifices to serve the dying criminal, he becomes the priest that can be admired. The irony lies in the fact that no one but the unbelieving lieutenant is a witness to his elevated state. What the priest does not realize is the lasting impact he does have on those around him. The lieutenant is changed for having known and spent time with the priest. The criminals in the prison have risen to the occasion to protect him and thus are better for having known him. Mr. Trench is moved by his execution and vows to leave Mexico for good. I find comfort in the fact that we can be flawed characters, yet capable of greatness much like the whiskey priest. Another example of irony can be found in the pious woman in the jail. She is a woman of conviction but has no tolerance for the human condition. She criticizes the priest and her fellow prisoners. Her piety is only skin- deep. The true heroes of the prison are the other prisoners who try to understand the priest and will not turn him in for “blood money.”
Like Asher Lev felt the need to paint life as he willing saw it, no matter what the cost, Greene paint an image of a priest that prone to humane frailty and weakness. It is not the pretty picture of the priest, but perhaps a true picture. The theme that greatness can come from the most flawed human being. When we take our struggles and hardships and allow them to help us to greatness, we are capable of many Christ-like acts. Uncle Tom was definitely the most perfect of our protagonist and his perfect nature was heightened through his sufferings. The whiskey priest needed his sufferings to make him a more perfect version.
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6 comments:
I agree that a priest should hold himself to the highest standard. I understand that he is human and not perfect but the mistakes that he made indicate that he is on a common human level...not the level of someone that is holy. Yes, mistakes are accepted but if the mistakes are those of normal human level then what warrants him the "holy" one. I don't know if that makes any sense or not.
I like your thoughts about Asher Lev and how he painted as he saw it, no matter what the cost. I too found many similarities of Green'e book and Potok's book. I liked your thoughts about the priest and stereotypes.
This a great insight into the novel. I agree that when we suffer the most is when we humble ourselves and then and only then do we even comes close to being "Christ-like". The pious woman in the prison is a great example as to why alot of people are turning away from religion today. People such as her fail to realize that every one including herself are imperfect and capable of mistakes. They become judgemental and unforgiven which hardens the heart. It creates arrogance and they eventually become less like the "Christ" they are trying to serve. People like that fail to realize that when Jesus was on earth he spent his life dedicated to helping the people just like those individuals in that were in prison. He never tolerated people like the pious woman (similar to the pharisees) because they were full of religion and thus incapable of change until their hearts changed.
The priests unawareness of how he affected people probably applies to all of us. I know I have been affected by many people due to subtle events that have profound impact that they are not aware of.All our interactions combine to form us into who we are.
It's interesting that the priest had to become almost the polar opposite of what he thought a priest should look like to not be caught, yet that is exactly when he truly began to embody the Christ-like characteristics of a true follower. It follows Jesus' parable about the vineyards in Matthew 20 and the parodox that "The last will be first, and the first will be last."
I began to wonder if the suffering (from outside sources and self inflicted) and the self-degradation that the priest engages in are in some ways another thing to feed his addictive personality. Are they just a penance he inflicts on himself for the life he has lived?
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