Summary
The Power and the Glory, published in 1940, is widely considered author Graham Greene’s masterpiece. Set in 1930s Mexico, during a time of religious persecution, this powerful novel explores themes of faith, corruption, and redemption. The story follows a flawed “whisky priest” as he evades authorities in Tabasco, a state where Catholicism has been outlawed. Throughout his journey, the priest grapples with his own sense of unworthiness while continuing to serve his flock.
Plot
Set in 1930s Mexico, The Power and the Glory follows an unnamed “whisky priest” on the run from authorities. As the last remaining Catholic priest in the Mexican state of Tabasco, where religion has been outlawed, he struggles to continue his sacred duties while evading capture and its consequences.
The protagonist is a deeply flawed individual—an alcoholic who has fathered an illegitimate child. Despite his failings and deep sense of unworthiness, he feels compelled to minister to the poor and marginalized people he encounters. His main adversary is a zealous police lieutenant determined to hunt down and execute the priest, seeing him as a threat to the state's ideology.
Throughout his travels, the whisky priest faces numerous challenges and moral dilemmas. He briefly reunites with his daughter but struggles to feel true repentance for his past actions. The priest's journey takes him through remote villages and treacherous terrain as he attempts to cross the border to a neighboring state where religious persecution is less severe.
In a climactic turn of events, the priest is lured back across the border by a mestizo who betrays him to the authorities. Though given the opportunity to escape, the priest chooses to fulfill his duty and hear the confession of a dying American criminal. This decision leads to his capture and eventual execution. The novel concludes with the arrival of a new priest in the area, suggesting the cyclical nature of faith and persecution.
Themes
Persecution of religion and faith
Moral ambiguity and human fallibility
Duty and sacrifice
Redemption and salvation
Power struggle between church and state
Survival and perseverance in adversity
Conflict between idealism and reality
Setting
Set in the 1930s, The Power and the Glory unfolds against the backdrop of Mexico's tumultuous political landscape. During this era, the country was gripped by a wave of anti-Catholic sentiment, with the government actively suppressing religious practices. The novel focuses on the state of Tabasco, where the persecution of the Catholic Church was particularly severe, emphasizing the plight of its protagonist, the “whisky priest.”
The larger geographical area encompasses the rural and often impoverished regions of southern Mexico. Greene vividly portrays the stark contrast between the bustling provincial capital and the remote, marginalized villages scattered throughout the state. The priest’s journey spans a diverse landscape of forests, swamps, and mountainous terrain, highlighting the challenging conditions faced by both the fugitive priest and the local population.
Specific locations within the novel include small country towns, agricultural settlements, and even a banana plantation owned by English expatriates. Greene also depicts the treacherous border region between Tabasco and its neighboring state, where the rules governing religious practice are less stringent. This border becomes a significant plot point as the protagonist contemplates escape from the oppressive regime in Tabasco.
Characters
The Whisky Priest: The unnamed protagonist, a flawed Catholic priest on the run in Mexico. He struggles with alcoholism and has fathered an illegitimate child. Despite his failings, the priest continues to perform his sacred duties in secret, driven by a sense of obligation to his faith. His journey through Tabasco forms the core of the narrative.
The Lieutenant: The main antagonist, a dedicated police officer pursuing the priest. He is morally upright but inflexible in his beliefs, seeing the Church as a source of corruption. His determination to capture the priest is fueled by both his ideological convictions and personal experiences with the Church.
Brigitta: The priest's illegitimate daughter. Her presence serves as a constant reminder of the priest's past sins and challenges his sense of worthiness.
Maria: Brigitta's mother and the priest's former mistress. Her interactions with the priest highlight his complicated past and ongoing internal struggles.
Padre José: A former priest who accepted the government's demands, married, and renounced his faith. He represents the path not taken by the protagonist and serves as a foil to the whisky priest's perseverance.
Mr. Tench: An English dentist living in Mexico. He briefly interacts with the priest, providing an outsider's perspective on the local situation.
The mestizo: A treacherous character who ultimately betrays the priest. He embodies the Judas figure in the novel's Christian allegory.
Quick facts
Graham Greene considered The Power and the Glory his best work.
The story is set in Tabasco, Mexico, during the 1930s when the government was attempting to suppress the Catholic Church.
Greene was inspired to write the novel after visiting Mexico in 1938 to research religious persecution.
Greene coined the term “whisky priest” to describe the novel's protagonist.
Another inspiration for the main character was Jesuit priest Miguel Pro, who was executed in Mexico in 1927.
In 1941, The Power and the Glory was awarded Britain’s prestigious Hawthornden Prize for literature.
The novel was initially published in the United States under the title The Labyrinthine Ways.
The novel was adapted into a film called The Fugitive in 1947, directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda.
In 1961, an acclaimed television movie featured Laurence Olivier in the lead role.
In 1953, the novel was criticized by the Catholic Church's Holy Office for being “paradoxical” and portraying “extraordinary circumstances."
In 1965, Pope Paul VI personally assured Greene that he should not be concerned about offending some Catholics with his writing.
TIME magazine chose The Power and the Glory as one of the 100 Best Novels published in the English-language between 1923 and 2005.
About the Author
Graham Greene (1904-1991) was one of the most acclaimed English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary prestige with widespread popularity, Greene was known for both serious novels and suspenseful thrillers, which he termed “entertainments." Over a 67-year writing career that included more than 25 novels, Greene explored moral and political conflicts of the modern world, often through a Catholic lens.
Greene's most famous works include Brighton Rock, The Power and the Glory, The Heart of the Matter, and The End of the Affair. He was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature multiple times. Several of his stories were adapted into films, including The Third Man, which Greene wrote as both a novella and screenplay. His writing style was praised for its readability and ability to grip readers' attention.
Catholicism played a major role in Greene's life and work. He converted to the faith in 1926 before marrying his wife Vivien, though he later described himself as a “Catholic agnostic." Greene's novels often portrayed the dramatic struggles of the individual soul from a Catholic perspective. In his personal life, Greene struggled with manic depression and had several extramarital affairs, including a long relationship that inspired The End of the Affair.
Greene was an avid traveler who visited many remote locales that featured in his fiction, leading to the coining of the term “Greeneland” to describe the exotic, morally ambiguous settings of his novels. In his later years, he was an outspoken critic of American imperialism and supporter of left-wing causes. He spent his final years in Switzerland, where he died at age 86. Graham Greene remains highly regarded as a master storyteller who brought both literary depth and popular appeal to the novel form.
