The Power and the glory: Treason

In this new chapters of the book, we see how the priest has matured and has reallly been interested in changing and being a good priest, no matter if that costs him his life. To refresh our minds, we know that mestizo has found the priest to tell him that the gringo is very ill and that his last dying wish is for a priest to hear his confessions. The priest very devoted to his work, accepts but still has a feeling that mestizo is leading him into a trap that will cost him his life. ""Why do you think me such a fool?" the priest said. "I know why you´ve come. You´re the only one they´ve got who can recognize me, and they can´t follow me into this state"" (pg. 178). I bvelieve the priest in in all his right to doubt about mestizo; he colud be a priest and a very noble man but he sure isn´t a stupid man. Still, they went to the other state, were the priest was completely vulnerable.

They arrived to a little hut were suposedely was the gringo. We see how the priest is filled with nervous impatience because everything could happen in that moment. But at the moment when he enters the hut, he instantly realizes that mestizo isn´t a traitor. "But all the same you needed to be a litle drunk to die. He got to the door - not a sound anywhere; then a voice said, "father". He looked round. The mestizo stood in the clearing with his face contorted: the two fangs jumped and jumped; he looked frightened" (pg. 186). everything was normal then. Something that is very strange is that the gringo didn´t want to tell any confessions to the priest and it seems to be a little trap of mestizo. Indeed, the gringo died and in the moment the lieutenant appears in the door of the barraca. After all the mestizo is a traitor; well thats what I think. They get to talking and they remember the two previous times that they have met. I thought that maybe the lieutenant could be moved by the priest but no, he tells him they have to take him to trial. After a long night storm, the priest is captured by the police and sent to trial.

The Power and the glory:

After crossing the border of a different state, the priest seems to be so relieved and honestly he should be. He has dealed with to much pressure and adrenaline and now he can be secure and without risking his life at every moment. As he arrives he meets two German-Americans protestants that live there; Mr. Lehr and his sister Ms. Lehr. They don´t like to much the catholic faith, but in that town, everybody is happy to have a priest because they didn´t have one for three years and they were eager to have their babies baptized and someone to hear their confessions. ""A church?" The priest ran his hands incredulously over the wall like a blind man trying to recognize a particular house, but he was too tired to feel anything at all. He heard the man with the gun babbling out of sight, "Such an honour father. The bell must be rung..."" (pg. 158-159). As we see the town is completely happy with the arrival of a priest because now they can celebrate their religous traditions.

But these series of fortunate events end when he is leaving to Las Casas. He is getting ready to go when he sees mestizo and he tells him the gringo is dying and his last dying wish is for the priest to hear his confessions. The father knows it´s a very risky act to do but he feels so much pressure of his title as priest that decides to go. This is a new adventure for the Whiskey priest.

The Power and the glory: The story continues

I picked up from the vacation in a part were really didnt say much nothing about what was happening. The priest has just gone out of prison because of a supposedly contraband of alcohol. He was very lucky that the Luetenant did not recognize him, instead he was a very nice guy to him. ""You are getting too old for work". He put his hand suddenly in his pocket and pulled out a five-peso piece. "There", he said. "Get out of here, and don´t let me see your face again. Mind that"". (pg. 140). Here we see that the priest is very lucky or god still loves him and is protecting him from everyone that wants him down. It is strange but maybe later on he gets caught and my perspective of him being protected by god, might change.

As he goes out of jail, the priest heads to the Fellows´place but as he gets there sees that the house has been abandoned. He is in bad shape: hes hungry and theres no food, he has no were to sleep and strangely he doesn´t stay there but what´s more strange is that this house is abandoned and also is the little hut were he stays after being at the fellows´ place. I relate this with his persecution. Maybe the authorities knew that they helped him and this could end up being a tragedy, all becasue of the priests´escape. In his moment an awful thing happens. The priest finds an indian woman with her child and in that same part the child dies. It is an impact to read about this and how poor families are. The child was very sick because of the conditions he lived in. What was worse was that the child had been shot. "He sat down on the ground and said slowly, "It will have to be buried". She understood that, nodding" (pg. 152). The indian woman asked the priest if he could help her burry him. He did and afterwards found a christian place full of crosses. That for me could be a sign for the priest of keeping alive the religion. The priest leaves the lady alone and goes on his way. Here the priest starts feeling a lot of guilt and paranoia. He is know safe because he crosses the border in a state were religion is not outlawed, but still he doesnt feel safe with his soul.

The Power and the Glory: The River

Something that I have found curious in the book is that with a new beggining of a new chapter, the plot, the characters and the setting of the book changes. A new character is introduced. His name is captain Fellows and he is an american in Mexico because he runs the "Central American Banana Company". He seems to be a very happy man and he is proud of running the American company. His life in Mexico seems to be alright. "I don´t like you snouts, O trouts. He was a happy man" (pg. 31). But like every man that is happy, I guess he should have a family, and Captain Fellows had one. Mrs. Fellows and her daughter Coral.

He gets home and finds out that Coral is talking to a police man, which later on we know that is the Lieutenant that is looking for the stranger. After he is gone Coral decides to tell his dad what really is going on. After all the Lieutenant was right of going to talk to Coral because she was hiding the stranger. "He is a priest. I trust you will report at once if he is seen." (PG. 35). Here the religous problem comes into context again. It is really amazing how a thirteen year old like Coral can have the idea and responsability to take care of a man that inspires her trust and above all likes.

Later on we see how this amazing new character takes an important role that permits us understand more about the whisky priest or the stranger. "he had answers as plain and understandable as her questions. He said, "There´s the pain. To choose pain like that - it´s not possible" (pg. 40). We start seeing from another perspective what the stranger is passing through and we start analyzing this ambiguous character. He has been ordered by Captain Fellows to live the barn of his house and he does. He gets to a little village were he find a hut to stay in and mostly of all, to hide. It was a grat event in the village for a priest to appeat because eveyone felt that they had the necessity to confess all of their sins and who better that a priest. "No, father. But it is five years since we have see a priest... it was bound to happen one day" (pg. 43). Here he finds a place to stay and reorganize himself and his thoughts. Later in the book we will see how the priests story ends.